At 9.8%, unemployment in Rich Township is higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago. The two grades for Rich Township are B− for jobs and income and A for walkability. About one in ten stay in Rich Township for work; outside it, Chicago is the main destination (29%, 22 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Rich Township, in a few figures
Rich Township and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Rich Township residents (29%) and also where the most people who work in Rich Township come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Rich Township draws workers from far and wide
The 21,871 jobs in Rich Township are filled from a wide area. Rich Township’s own residents hold 13% and the ten next-biggest home towns 23%; the other 64% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Rich Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Where Rich Township’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rich Township is better than 52% of U.S. towns, #487 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Rich Township’s grade up (ahead of 93% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rich Township could be anywhere from B− to B.
Out of Rich Township to work: where people go
Where Rich Township clocks in
29% of workers
4% of workers
2% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Getting to work from Rich Township takes about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rich Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 27,373 commuters (the 18% who work from home are left out). Across Illinois: 78% drive alone, 7% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The daily commute in and out of Rich Township
On a workday 25,742 residents head out to work, 2,936 work right here, and 18,935 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.76 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What Rich Township’s employers do
21,871 jobs are based in Rich Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rich Township, 2013 → 2023: 21,526 → 21,871. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Rich Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Rich Township
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Rich Township
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rich Township is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns, #138 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Rich Township near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 33,199 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 45% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 6% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 72% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 6.3% of Rich Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Rich Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Rich Township is 384th of 592 U.S. towns of 52,000 to 100,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | New Trier Township IL | 56,118 | $216K | 2.9% | 4.0% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Vernon Township IL | 71,353 | $146K | 6.3% | 2.4% | 15% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Wheatland Township IL | 92,693 | $173K | 3.2% | 4.0% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 382 | Greenville SC | 75,310 | $71K | 14.0% | 4.4% | 38% | B− |
| 383 | St. Cloud FL | 74,960 | $83K | 10.1% | 5.9% | 8% | B− |
| 384 | Rich Township IL | 74,003 | $84K | 10.6% | 9.8% | 10% | B− |
| 385 | Carmichael CA | 76,948 | $86K | 12.6% | 7.3% | 7% | B− |
| 386 | Hempstead NY | 59,819 | $90K | 14.4% | 9.2% | 8% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 592 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Rich Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Rich Township and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Matteson (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rich Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Township | – | B− | A | 33 min | $83,848 |
| Frankfort Township | under 2% | A | A− | 32 min | $134,769 |
| Bremen Township | under 2% | B− | A | 32 min | $78,755 |
| Bloom Township | under 2% | C+ | A | 33 min | $73,530 |
| Matteson | 4% | B | A− | 34 min | $95,457 |
| Flossmoor | under 2% | A− | A | 33 min | $133,663 |
| Homewood | 2% | B | A+ | 33 min | $100,139 |
| Frankfort Square | under 2% | A− | B− | 28 min | $126,897 |
| Tinley Park | 2% | A− | A | 34 min | $105,189 |
| Frankfort | under 2% | A | A− | 35 min | $154,375 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rich Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Rich Township: questions
What is the median household income in Rich Township?
$83,848 (±$4,423) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rich Township?
10.6%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rich Township?
33 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rich Township work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (29%, 22 mi), Matteson (4%, 1 mi), Chicago Heights (2%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Rich Township walkable?
Rich Township is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.9 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rich Township without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 6% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rich Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rich Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.