Richton Park has higher unemployment (11.9%) than 97% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago. Jobs and income earn Richton Park C+; getting around on foot earns it A−. Only 2% work in Richton Park; the top destination outside it is Chicago (29%, 25 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Richton Park apart
Richton Park and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Richton Park residents (29%) and also where the most people who work in Richton Park come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Richton Park is a place people come home to
There are 1,443 jobs based in Richton Park, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Richton Park has about 9,000 people in it, 28% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Richton Park 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 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Richton Park
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Richton Park is better than 44% of U.S. towns, #534 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Richton Park’s grade up (ahead of 91% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Richton Park could be anywhere from C to B.
Where the trip to work from Richton Park ends
Where Richton Park 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.
The daily flow of workers through Richton Park
On a workday 4,852 residents head out to work, 119 work right here, and 1,324 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,000 people are in Richton Park on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
0.29 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
How long Richton Park spends getting to work: about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Richton Park workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,087 commuters (the 13% 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 1,443 jobs based in Richton Park
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Richton Park, 2014 → 2024: 1,872 → 1,443. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Richton Park’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Richton Park
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
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: Richton Park
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Richton Park is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns, #255 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Richton Park 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 5,863 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 20% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 67% 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). 10.2% of Richton Park households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Richton Park’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Richton Park is 1,566th of 2,354 U.S. towns of 9,000 to 17,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | La Grange IL | 15,935 | $160K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 40 | Riverside Township IL | 16,083 | $122K | 4.5% | 1.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,564 | Chicago Ridge IL | 14,036 | $69K | 20.4% | 5.5% | 5% | C+ |
| 1,565 | St. Helens OR | 14,450 | $83K | 10.0% | 3.6% | 17% | C+ |
| 1,566 | Richton Park IL | 12,483 | $65K | 8.8% | 11.9% | 2% | C+ |
| 1,567 | Chenango NY | 10,594 | $87K | 9.1% | 8.4% | 9% | C+ |
| 1,568 | Red Bank SC | 11,314 | $68K | 11.5% | 5.7% | 3% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,354 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | 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 Richton Park, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Next door to Richton Park
The biggest share goes to Matteson (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Richton Park workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richton Park | – | C+ | A− | 33 min | $64,554 |
| Matteson | 4% | B | A− | 34 min | $95,457 |
| Park Forest | 2% | C | A | 32 min | $61,072 |
| Frankfort | under 2% | A | A− | 35 min | $154,375 |
| University Park | 2% | C+ | A− | 39 min | $73,844 |
| Monee Township | under 2% | B− | B | 36 min | $84,953 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Richton Park’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 2024, 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 Richton Park: questions
What is the median household income in Richton Park?
$64,554 (±$8,802) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Richton Park?
8.8%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Richton Park?
33 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Richton Park work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (29%, 25 mi), Matteson (4%, 2 mi), Chicago Heights (2%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Richton Park walkable?
Richton Park is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.2 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Richton Park without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Richton Park, from the people who make the trip.
More of Richton Park
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.