There are 3.7 jobs in Serena for every working resident, and 141 people commute in
Only 3% work in Serena itself; outside it, Ottawa draws the most (8%, 10 miles). 142 jobs are based in Serena, against 38 working residents. 0% of workers have no commute at all (Illinois 16%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Serena on a workday
On a workday 37 residents head out to work and 1 work right here.
About 290 people are in Serena on a workday afternoon, 57% more than live here.
3.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting in to Serena: where workers come from
Where Serena clocks in
8% of workers
8% of workers
5% 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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Serena, 2013 → 2023: 154 → 142. 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 Serena’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Working from home in Serena
of Serena workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 58 commuters (the 0% 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.
How far it is to work from Serena
About 37% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
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 Serena: questions
What is the poverty rate in Serena?
23.1%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
Where do people who live in Serena work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ottawa (8%, 10 mi), Aurora (8%, 30 mi), Pontiac (5%, 42 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Serena without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 42% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Serena, from the people who make the trip.
More of Serena
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.