Photo: KWayne1 · CC BY-SA 4.0Where Sterling Township earns its living
About two in five stay in Sterling Township for work; outside it, Sterling is the main destination (33%, 1 miles). 6% of workers have no commute at all (Illinois 16%). The trip to work takes 18 minutes on average; Illinois averages 28, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Sterling Township at work: what stands out
A lot of Sterling Township works one town over
39% of working residents work in a town that borders Sterling Township: Sterling (33%), Rock Falls (5%) and Hopkins Township (1%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Sterling 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 ↓
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.
Time on the road from Sterling Township: about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sterling Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,755 commuters (the 6% 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.
Sterling Township on a workday afternoon
On a workday 4,268 residents head out to work, 3,087 work right here, and 7,391 people come in from elsewhere.
About 20,000 people are in Sterling Township on a workday afternoon, 19% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.42 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 Sterling Township work
Where Sterling Township clocks in
33% of workers
7% of workers
5% 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.
Inside Sterling Township’s 10,478 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sterling Township, 2014 → 2024: 10,280 → 10,478. 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 Sterling Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Near or far: the trip to work from Sterling Township
About 23% 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.
Sterling Township and its neighbors: 39% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sterling Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Township | – | — | — | 18 min | $61,764 |
| Coloma Township | under 2% | D | A− | 17 min | $52,152 |
| Sterling | 33% | C | A− | 18 min | $57,350 |
| Hopkins Township | 1% | B− | C | 36 min | $97,075 |
| Jordan Township | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Palmyra Township | under 2% | B− | C+ | 18 min | $93,689 |
| Rock Falls | 5% | D | A− | 16 min | $49,600 |
Same-state neighbors only. Jordan Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Sterling. Darker towns draw more of Sterling 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 Sterling Township: questions
What is the median household income in Sterling Township?
$61,764 (±$6,387) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sterling Township?
13.6%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sterling Township?
18 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sterling Township work?
42% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sterling (33%, 1 mi), Dixon (7%, 11 mi), Rock Falls (5%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Sterling Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Sterling Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sterling 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.