Cornelius Flagg Farmstead · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHousehold incomes in Sherman are higher than in 95% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Sherman are A for jobs and income and B− for walkability. 2.2% of residents are in poverty (Illinois 11.8%). Only 5% stay in Sherman for work; outside it, Springfield is the main destination (52%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Sherman at work: what stands out
More than half of Sherman works in Springfield
1,153 working residents, 52%, have their main job in Springfield, 6.8 miles away across the town line. That’s 10 times as many as work in Sherman itself. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Sherman
68% of Sherman residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 37% of the jobs based in Sherman pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Sherman has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Sherman went from 534 in 2013 to 838 in 2023, +57%. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Sherman are quick
The average trip to work takes 21 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
Most Sherman residents work close to home
60% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Inside Sherman’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Sherman is better than 94% of U.S. towns, #66 of 768 in Illinois. The poverty rate is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 62% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Sherman could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Where Sherman’s working residents head each day
Where Sherman clocks in
52% 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 kinds of work in Sherman
838 jobs are based in Sherman.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sherman, 2013 → 2023: 534 → 838. 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 Sherman’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 21 minutes each way for Sherman’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sherman workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,894 commuters (the 15% 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.
Sherman’s commute, mile by mile
About 22% 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.
The daily commute in and out of Sherman
On a workday 2,118 residents head out to work, 103 work right here, and 735 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,300 people are in Sherman on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.38 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 2023, primary jobs.
In Sherman, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Sherman is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns, #555 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 10.8% across Illinois.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,230 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 91% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 32% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 0.6% of Sherman households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Sherman’s commuters take a bus or train.
246th of 3,798: where Sherman ranks among U.S. towns of 3,300 to 6,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | South Barrington IL | 5,071 | $222K | 1.0% | 2.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Deer Park IL | 3,647 | $174K | 1.3% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 244 | Franklin Township IN | 4,223 | $96K | 1.8% | 1.8% | 4% | A |
| 245 | Arcola VA | 3,509 | $129K | 7.1% | 1.7% | 3% | A |
| 246 | Sherman IL | 4,644 | $149K | 2.2% | 2.6% | 5% | A |
| 247 | Fayetteville NY | 4,126 | $128K | 5.2% | 1.5% | 4% | A |
| 248 | Williams Township IL | 3,426 | $126K | 4.2% | 0.4% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,798 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Sherman, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns next door employ 54% of Sherman
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sherman workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman | – | A | B− | 21 min | $148,906 |
| Fancy Creek Township | 1% | A | B− | 21 min | $145,385 |
| Springfield | 52% | C | A | 17 min | $66,064 |
| Springfield Township | 1% | D | B+ | 15 min | $39,507 |
| Capital Township | under 2% | C | A | 17 min | $65,902 |
| Williams Township | under 2% | A | C | 22 min | $125,583 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Springfield. Darker towns draw more of Sherman’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 Sherman: questions
What is the median household income in Sherman?
$148,906 (±$29,712) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sherman?
2.2%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sherman?
21 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sherman work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Springfield (52%, 7 mi), Williamsville (2%, 6 mi), Decatur (2%, 36 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Sherman walkable?
Sherman is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 11.5 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Sherman without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 32% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Sherman, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sherman
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.