At 5.9%, unemployment in South Moline Township is higher than in 73% of U.S. towns
About one in five work in South Moline Township itself; outside it, Moline draws the most (18%, 1 miles). The two grades for South Moline Township are C+ for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. 8% of workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in South Moline Township
South Moline Township trades workers with the towns around it
South Moline Township has about as many jobs (16,203) as working residents (14,266), but they are mostly different people: 11,739 residents leave for work each day while 13,676 people come in. Only 16% of the jobs in South Moline Township are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of South Moline Township works one town over
41% of working residents work in a town that borders South Moline Township: Moline (18%), East Moline (12%) and Rock Island (10%). Next door ↓
A lot of South Moline Township workers cross into Iowa
23% of South Moline Township workers work outside Illinois, most of them in Iowa, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Commutes from South Moline Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 18 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 77 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
Many of the people who work in South Moline Township live in another state
Davenport, IA (10%) and Bettendorf, IA (4%) are among the top places South Moline Township’s workers come from. Counting only the top ten home towns, 14% of the jobs here are held by people from out of state. The commute map ↓
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.
South Moline Township’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Moline Township is better than 38% of U.S. towns, #583 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds South Moline Township’s grade up (ahead of 76% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (16.3%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Moline Township could be anywhere from C to B−.
Who works in South Moline Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 11,739 residents head out to work, 2,527 work right here, and 13,676 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.14 per resident).
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 people from South Moline Township work
Where South Moline Township clocks in
18% of workers
13% of workers
12% 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.
Time on the road from South Moline Township: about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Moline Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 14,867 commuters (the 8% 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.
Inside South Moline Township’s 16,203 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Moline Township, 2014 → 2024: 21,064 → 16,203. 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 South Moline Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from South Moline Township
About 21% 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.
South Moline Township is a driving town
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 16,110 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 9.5% of South Moline Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of South Moline Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
South Moline Township places 1,001st of 1,239 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 25,000 to 49,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | West Deerfield Township IL | 32,111 | $205K | 2.7% | 2.7% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | New Lenox IL | 28,893 | $141K | 1.5% | 2.9% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Bartlett IL | 40,855 | $133K | 4.2% | 2.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 999 | Wausau WI | 40,188 | $64K | 14.6% | 4.9% | 40% | C+ |
| 1,000 | Aberdeen SD | 27,961 | $64K | 13.8% | 3.7% | 65% | C+ |
| 1,001 | South Moline Township IL | 36,062 | $68K | 16.3% | 5.9% | 18% | C+ |
| 1,002 | Norfolk NE | 26,677 | $59K | 14.3% | 3.2% | 47% | C+ |
| 1,003 | Chelsea MA | 40,130 | $72K | 20.7% | 9.2% | 10% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,239 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 25% | 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 South Moline Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Next door is work for 41% of South Moline Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Moline Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Moline Township | – | C+ | B+ | 18 min | $67,829 |
| Moline Township | under 2% | C+ | A− | 18 min | $62,396 |
| Moline | 18% | C+ | A− | 18 min | $67,701 |
| Hampton Township | under 2% | C+ | B+ | 20 min | $63,933 |
| East Moline | 12% | C+ | A− | 19 min | $61,779 |
| Coal Valley Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
| South Rock Island Township | under 2% | C+ | B+ | 20 min | $69,711 |
| Rock Island | 10% | C | A− | 19 min | $59,041 |
| Blackhawk Township | under 2% | B | B+ | 23 min | $65,414 |
| Campbell's Island | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Coal Valley Township: not graded. Campbell's Island: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Moline. Darker towns draw more of South Moline 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 South Moline Township: questions
What is the median household income in South Moline Township?
$67,829 (±$5,272) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Moline Township?
16.3%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Moline Township?
18 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Moline Township work?
18% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Moline (18%, 1 mi), Davenport (13%, 8 mi), East Moline (12%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is South Moline Township walkable?
South Moline Township is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Moline Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Moline Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Moline 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. 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.