Household incomes in Smithton are higher than in 93% of U.S. towns
Only 3% work in Smithton itself; outside it, Belleville draws the most (16%, 7 miles). Poverty touches 3.4% of residents, against 11.8% across Illinois. For jobs and income Smithton is better than 92% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns (D).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Smithton apart on work
Smithton is a place people come home to
There are 370 jobs based in Smithton, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Smithton has about 2,400 people in it, 39% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Smithton
65% of Smithton residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 45% of the jobs based in Smithton pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Smithton workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 34 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 261 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (23 to 26 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Many jobs in Smithton pay little
26% of the jobs based in Smithton pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. 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.
Where Smithton’s Jobs & income grade comes from
Household income is its strongest input ($135,455, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Smithton could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
How a workday changes Smithton
On a workday 1,827 residents head out to work, 47 work right here, and 323 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,400 people are in Smithton on a workday afternoon, 39% fewer than live here.
0.20 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.
Smithton is a services town
370 jobs are based in Smithton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Smithton, 2013 → 2023: 404 → 370. 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 Smithton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Smithton: about 34 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Smithton workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,547 commuters (the 18% 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.
The places Smithton commutes to
Where Smithton clocks in
16% of workers
9% 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.
How many miles Smithton commutes
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.
Few in Smithton walk, bike or ride to work
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 1,884 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% 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). 1.3% of Smithton households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Smithton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Smithton is 307th among 4,264 U.S. towns of 2,700 to 5,200
| # | 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 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | South Barrington IL | 5,071 | $222K | 1.0% | 2.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Deer Park IL | 3,647 | $174K | 1.3% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 305 | Sadsbury Township PA | 4,741 | $117K | 2.8% | 2.9% | 3% | A |
| 306 | Fox Island WA | 3,414 | $172K | 1.3% | 2.4% | 3% | A |
| 307 | Smithton IL | 3,868 | $135K | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3% | A |
| 308 | Valley NE | 3,412 | $110K | 5.3% | 2.1% | 14% | A |
| 309 | Thorn Township OH | 4,848 | $96K | 4.1% | 0.5% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,264 | 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 Smithton, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Next door is work for 24% of Smithton
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Smithton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithton | – | A | D | 34 min | $135,455 |
| Smithton Township | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Belleville | 16% | C+ | A | 25 min | $63,535 |
| Freeburg | 8% | B+ | B+ | 23 min | $92,065 |
Same-state neighbors only. Smithton Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Belleville. Darker towns draw more of Smithton’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 Smithton: questions
What is the median household income in Smithton?
$135,455 (±$22,538) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Smithton?
3.4%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Smithton?
34 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Smithton work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Belleville (16%, 7 mi), St. Louis (9%, 21 mi), Freeburg (8%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Smithton walkable?
Smithton is more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 5.7 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Smithton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Smithton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Smithton
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.