Photo: Ben Jacobson (Kranar Drogin) · CC BY 2.5Seward Township has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Only 1% stay in Seward Township for work; outside it, Rockford is the main destination (32%, 15 miles). There are 80 jobs in Seward Township; 380 of its residents have a job. The average commute takes 20 minutes each way, where Illinois has 28 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Seward Township: the gist
Seward Township is a place people come home to
There are 80 jobs based in Seward Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Seward Township has about 540 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
One in three of Seward Township works in Rockford
121 working residents, 32%, have their main job in Rockford, 15 miles away. That’s 32 times as many as work in Seward Township itself. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Seward Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 61 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker, and quicker than any town next door (25 to 30 minutes). 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; with 380 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How a workday changes Seward Township
On a workday 376 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 76 people come in from elsewhere.
About 540 people are in Seward Township on a workday afternoon, 36% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where the trip to work from Seward Township ends
Where Seward Township clocks in
32% of workers
9% of workers
4% 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.
About 20 minutes each way, quicker than most of Illinois
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Seward Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 327 commuters (the 11% 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.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Seward Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Seward Township, 2014 → 2024: 180 → 80. 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 Seward Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Seward Township
About 30% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
How Seward Township compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Seward Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seward Township | – | — | — | 20 min | $100,583 |
| Pecatonica Township | under 2% | B | C | 28 min | $81,012 |
| Winnebago Township | 1% | A− | C | 25 min | $94,375 |
| Leaf River Township | under 2% | B+ | C | 30 min | $85,833 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Winnebago Township. Darker towns draw more of Seward 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 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 Seward Township: questions
What is the median household income in Seward Township?
$100,583 (±$30,077) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Seward Township?
5.9%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Seward Township?
20 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Seward Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rockford (32%, 15 mi), Pecatonica (9%, 5 mi), Chicago (4%, 90 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Seward Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Seward Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Seward Township
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.