South Ottawa Township has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
There are 958 jobs in South Ottawa Township, against 3,714 working residents. South Ottawa Township grades C+ for jobs and income and C for walkability. 5% of workers have no commute at all, 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 Ottawa Township
South Ottawa Township and Ottawa trade workers both ways
Ottawa is the top workplace for South Ottawa Township residents (28%) and also where the most people who work in South Ottawa Township come from (34% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
South Ottawa Township is a place people come home to
There are 958 jobs based in South Ottawa Township, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday South Ottawa Township has about 5,500 people in it, 33% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
South Ottawa Township has added jobs fast
Jobs based in South Ottawa Township went from 688 in 2014 to 958 in 2024, +39%. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside South Ottawa Township
60% of South Ottawa Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 42% of the jobs based in South Ottawa Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for South Ottawa Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Ottawa Township is better than 44% of U.S. towns, #541 of 768 in Illinois. Household income holds South Ottawa Township’s grade up ($84,054, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate pulls it down (13.5%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Ottawa Township could be anywhere from C to B+.
28% of working residents work in Ottawa
Where South Ottawa Township clocks in
28% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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.
South Ottawa Township on a workday afternoon
On a workday 3,527 residents head out to work, 187 work right here, and 771 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,500 people are in South Ottawa Township on a workday afternoon, 33% 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.
Jobs in South Ottawa Township: what the 958 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Ottawa Township, 2014 → 2024: 688 → 958. 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 Ottawa Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from South Ottawa Township: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Ottawa Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,597 commuters (the 5% 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.
South Ottawa Township’s commute, mile by mile
About 31% 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 Ottawa Township is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South Ottawa Township is more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns, #641 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place South Ottawa Township near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,781 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). 4.8% of South Ottawa Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of South Ottawa Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
South Ottawa Township is 1,932nd of 3,012 U.S. towns of 5,800 to 11,200 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Itasca IL | 9,488 | $114K | 2.0% | 2.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,930 | Hudson Falls NY | 7,333 | $63K | 10.0% | 4.1% | 3% | C+ |
| 1,931 | Vienna WV | 10,321 | $60K | 10.2% | 3.5% | 10% | C+ |
| 1,932 | South Ottawa Township IL | 8,299 | $84K | 13.5% | 4.7% | 5% | C+ |
| 1,933 | Batesville IN | 7,401 | $62K | 14.2% | 2.5% | 36% | C+ |
| 1,934 | Burlington NJ | 10,243 | $85K | 16.6% | 12.2% | 6% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,012 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 6% | 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 Ottawa Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Around South Ottawa Township: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Ottawa Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Ottawa Township | – | C+ | C | 26 min | $84,054 |
| Ottawa Township | under 2% | C− | B− | 19 min | $70,008 |
| Fall River Township | under 2% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Farm Ridge Township | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Deer Park Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Fall River Township, Farm Ridge Township and Deer Park Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Ottawa 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 Ottawa Township: questions
What is the median household income in South Ottawa Township?
$84,054 (±$5,359) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Ottawa Township?
13.5%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Ottawa Township?
26 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Ottawa Township work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ottawa (28%, 4 mi), Chicago (4%, 71 mi), Morris (3%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is South Ottawa Township walkable?
South Ottawa Township is more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.4 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Ottawa Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Ottawa Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Ottawa 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.