Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Households in Skokie earn more than those in 73% of U.S. towns
The average commute, 28 minutes each way, matches the Illinois norm. 9.7% of residents are in poverty; Illinois has 11.8%. About one in ten stay in Skokie for work; outside it, Chicago is the main destination (36%, 14 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Skokie at work: what stands out
Income, poverty and work: Skokie’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Skokie is better than 72% of U.S. towns, #316 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Skokie’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Skokie could be anywhere from B to A−.
The daily flow of workers through Skokie
On a workday 28,012 residents head out to work, 3,186 work right here, and 37,177 people come in from elsewhere.
About 76,000 people are in Skokie on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.29 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.
Where Skokie goes to work
Where Skokie clocks in
36% of workers
8% 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.
What work there is in Skokie: 40,363 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Skokie, 2013 → 2023: 32,352 → 40,363. 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 Skokie’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 28 minutes each way for Skokie’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Skokie workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 25,079 commuters (the 20% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Skokie
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.
Skokie is more walkable than 97% 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 31,479 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, 60% 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). 7.0% of Skokie households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Skokie’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Skokie ranks: 272nd of 648 U.S. towns of 47,000 to 90,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | New Trier Township IL | 56,118 | $216K | 2.9% | 4.0% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Vernon Township IL | 71,353 | $146K | 6.3% | 2.4% | 15% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Glenview IL | 47,711 | $143K | 6.0% | 3.4% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 270 | Palos Township IL | 55,372 | $86K | 8.8% | 4.8% | 10% | B+ |
| 271 | Apopka FL | 65,552 | $97K | 10.2% | 3.8% | 7% | B+ |
| 272 | Skokie IL | 66,544 | $95K | 9.7% | 5.2% | 10% | B+ |
| 273 | New Rochelle NY | 85,864 | $109K | 10.1% | 5.9% | 14% | B+ |
| 274 | Ames IA | 68,220 | $61K | 25.5% | 5.8% | 52% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 648 | Pahrump NV | 47,347 | $62K | 13.7% | 8.5% | 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 Skokie, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns next door employ 52% of Skokie
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Skokie workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skokie | – | B+ | A+ | 28 min | $95,337 |
| Niles Township | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 28 min | $97,280 |
| Morton Grove | 2% | A− | A | 28 min | $111,116 |
| Evanston | 8% | B | A+ | 28 min | $96,434 |
| Lincolnwood | 2% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $109,731 |
| Chicago | 36% | B− | A+ | 33 min | $77,902 |
| Niles | 2% | B | A+ | 28 min | $75,274 |
| New Trier Township | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 34 min | $215,916 |
| Wilmette | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 35 min | $190,662 |
| Glenview | 2% | A | A+ | 27 min | $143,056 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Chicago. Darker towns draw more of Skokie’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 Skokie: questions
What is the median household income in Skokie?
$95,337 (±$5,362) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Skokie?
9.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Skokie?
28 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Skokie work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (36%, 14 mi), Evanston (8%, 2 mi), Glenview (2%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Skokie walkable?
Skokie is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 16.0 out of 20, and 9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Skokie without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 60% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Skokie, from the people who make the trip.
More of Skokie
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.