At 5.7%, unemployment in Swansea is higher than in 71% of U.S. towns
Only 5% work in Swansea; the top destination outside it is Belleville (16%, 2 miles). Swansea grades B+ for jobs and income and B for walkability. The average commute takes 24 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Swansea, in a few figures
A lot of Swansea workers cross into Missouri
23% of Swansea workers work outside Illinois, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, St. Louis (13%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Swansea and Belleville trade workers both ways
Belleville is the top workplace for Swansea residents (16%) and also where the most people who work in Swansea come from (11% of its jobs). 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.
The figures behind Swansea’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Swansea is better than 66% of U.S. towns, #370 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Swansea’s grade up (ahead of 85% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. 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, Swansea could be anywhere from B− to A.
Out of Swansea to work: where people go
Where Swansea clocks in
16% of workers
13% 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 a workday changes Swansea
On a workday 5,601 residents head out to work, 310 work right here, and 4,359 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 (0.79 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.
Most jobs in Swansea are in services
4,669 jobs are based in Swansea.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Swansea, 2014 → 2024: 5,295 → 4,669. 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 Swansea’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 24 minutes to work from Swansea
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Swansea workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,023 commuters (the 15% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Swansea
About 16% 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.
Most of Swansea commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Swansea is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns, #439 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.3% of 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 7,104 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 48% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 18% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 87% 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). 4.9% of Swansea households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Swansea’s commuters take a bus or train.
Swansea next to U.S. towns of 10,000 to 19,000: 1,061st of 2,227 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | La Grange IL | 15,935 | $160K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| 31 | Riverside Township IL | 16,083 | $122K | 4.5% | 1.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,059 | Carver MA | 11,981 | $91K | 7.5% | 4.4% | 8% | B+ |
| 1,060 | Lowell IN | 11,853 | $84K | 5.5% | 4.9% | 8% | B+ |
| 1,061 | Swansea IL | 14,356 | $92K | 8.7% | 5.7% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,062 | Waimalu HI | 13,061 | $89K | 6.8% | 6.7% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,063 | Flower Hill MD | 13,794 | $113K | 9.3% | 8.4% | 1% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,227 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 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 Swansea, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns next door employ 27% of Swansea
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Swansea workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swansea | – | B+ | B | 24 min | $91,587 |
| St. Clair Township | under 2% | B | A− | 23 min | $80,309 |
| Belleville | 16% | C+ | A | 25 min | $63,535 |
| Fairview Heights | 5% | B | A− | 22 min | $80,930 |
| Shiloh | 2% | A | B+ | 25 min | $99,573 |
| O'Fallon | 4% | A | A− | 25 min | $105,982 |
| Caseyville Township | under 2% | B+ | A− | 22 min | $87,204 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Belleville. Darker towns draw more of Swansea’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 Swansea: questions
What is the median household income in Swansea?
$91,587 (±$13,281) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Swansea?
8.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Swansea?
24 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Swansea work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Belleville (16%, 2 mi), St. Louis (13%, 15 mi), Fairview Heights (5%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Swansea walkable?
Swansea is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 10.7 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Swansea without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 18% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Swansea, from the people who make the trip.
More of Swansea
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.