With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Towanda works elsewhere
Hardly any work in Towanda; the top destination outside it is Bloomington (35%, 7 miles). There are 31 jobs in Towanda for 195 working residents. Commuters spend 21 minutes getting to work on average, next to 28 for Illinois and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who commutes out of Towanda, and who commutes in
On a workday 194 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 30 people come in from elsewhere.
About 260 people are in Towanda on a workday afternoon, 39% 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 2023, primary jobs.
The places Towanda commutes to
Where Towanda clocks in
35% of workers
24% of workers
4% 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.
In Towanda, 42% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Towanda, 2013 → 2023: 92 → 31. 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 Towanda’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 21 minutes each way, quicker than most of Illinois
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Towanda workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 157 commuters (the 12% 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.
How far Towanda goes to work
About 19% 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 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
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 Towanda: questions
What is the median household income in Towanda?
$72,500 (±$26,629) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Towanda?
12.3%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Towanda?
21 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Towanda work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bloomington (35%, 7 mi), Normal (24%, 6 mi), El Paso (4%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Towanda without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Towanda, from the people who make the trip.
More of Towanda
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.