Photo: Thshriver · CC BY-SA 3.0Unemployment in River Grove (5.9%) is higher than in 73% of U.S. towns
Measured by household income, River Grove is behind 59% of U.S. towns. Only 5% work in River Grove; the top destination outside it is Chicago (30%, 10 miles). Working residents average 31 minutes each way (Illinois 28, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets River Grove apart on work
River Grove trades workers with the towns around it
River Grove has about as many jobs (4,755) as working residents (4,751), but they are mostly different people: 4,491 residents leave for work each day while 4,495 people come in. Only 5% of the jobs in River Grove are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
River Grove and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for River Grove residents (30%) and also where the most people who work in River Grove come from (29% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of River Grove’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 31 minutes, longer than the Illinois average of 28. Time on the road ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
40% of the jobs in River Grove are in trade, transport and utilities, against 25% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in River Grove
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, River Grove is better than 65% of U.S. towns, #372 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds River Grove’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on the poverty rate.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, River Grove could be anywhere from C+ to A.
Who works in River Grove, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 4,491 residents head out to work, 260 work right here, and 4,495 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 (1.00 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.
The places River Grove commutes to
Where River Grove clocks in
30% of workers
3% 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 trip to work from River Grove: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of River Grove workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,265 commuters (the 14% 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.
What work there is in River Grove: 4,755 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in River Grove, 2013 → 2023: 3,868 → 4,755. 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 River Grove’s own residents hold wherever they work.
River Grove’s commute, mile by mile
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.
River Grove is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,963 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 49% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 12.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 95% 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). 14.8% of River Grove households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of River Grove’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, River Grove is 1,287th of 2,878 U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000
| # | 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 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,285 | Tontitown AR | 8,046 | $86K | 4.7% | 6.0% | 6% | B+ |
| 1,286 | Honey Brook Township PA | 8,780 | $86K | 11.9% | 3.2% | 12% | B+ |
| 1,287 | River Grove IL | 10,409 | $70K | 6.2% | 5.9% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,288 | Corrales NM | 8,484 | $102K | 7.0% | 6.3% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,289 | Clinton TN | 10,466 | $69K | 12.7% | 1.4% | 21% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 River Grove, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Work in the towns next to River Grove
The biggest share goes to Franklin Park (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | River Grove workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Grove | – | B+ | A+ | 31 min | $69,858 |
| Elmwood Park | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 32 min | $91,955 |
| Melrose Park | 2% | B− | A | 27 min | $66,189 |
| Franklin Park | 3% | B | A | 29 min | $76,519 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of River Grove’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 River Grove: questions
What is the median household income in River Grove?
$69,858 (±$11,319) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in River Grove?
6.2%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from River Grove?
31 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in River Grove work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (30%, 10 mi), Franklin Park (3%, 2 mi), Elk Grove Village (2%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is River Grove walkable?
River Grove is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.7 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around River Grove without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 15% of households have no car. 49% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from River Grove, from the people who make the trip.
More of River Grove
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.