Ryerson, Edward L., Area Historic District · Photo: Teemu08 · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Vernon Township have higher incomes than those in 94% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Vernon Township A+; getting around on foot earns it A. Poverty touches 6.3% of residents, where Illinois as a whole has 11.8%. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 36.9 in Chicago.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Vernon Township
Home offices are common in Vernon Township
32% of Vernon Township workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Time on the road ↓
Vernon Township is where the jobs are
Vernon Township has 66,433 jobs, 2.0 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 105,000 people are in town, 48% more than the 71,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Most jobs in Vernon Township pay over $40,000 a year
79% of the jobs based in Vernon Township pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Vernon Township’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Vernon Township is Chicago, 28 miles away as the crow flies. 19% of working residents (6,025) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Vernon Township draws workers from far and wide
The 66,433 jobs in Vernon Township are filled from a wide area. Vernon Township’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 27%; the other 66% come from many towns beyond those. 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Vernon Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Vernon Township is better than 96% of U.S. towns, #42 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Vernon Township could be anywhere from A to A+.
Getting to work from Vernon Township takes about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Vernon Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 24,589 commuters (the 32% 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.
A workday in Vernon Township: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 27,585 residents head out to work, 4,919 work right here, and 61,514 people come in from elsewhere.
About 105,000 people are in Vernon Township on a workday afternoon, 48% more than live here.
2.0 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
79% of the jobs in Vernon Township pay over $3,333 a month
66,433 jobs are based in Vernon Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Vernon Township, 2014 → 2024: 48,871 → 66,433. 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 Vernon Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from Vernon Township
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.
Where the people who work in Vernon Township live
Where Vernon Township clocks in
19% 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.
Good to walk, short on transit: Vernon Township
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Vernon Township is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns, #144 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Vernon 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 36,196 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 18% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 4% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 64% 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). 4.5% of Vernon Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Vernon Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Vernon Township is 14th among 619 U.S. towns of 50,000 to 96,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | New Trier Township IL | 56,118 | $216K | 2.9% | 4.0% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Flower Mound TX | 79,540 | $161K | 4.3% | 3.4% | 10% | A+ |
| 13 | Celina TX | 64,427 | $171K | 4.7% | 2.8% | 4% | A+ |
| 14 | Vernon Township IL | 71,353 | $146K | 6.3% | 2.4% | 15% | A+ |
| 15 | Westfield IN | 66,258 | $123K | 3.6% | 2.8% | 11% | A+ |
| 16 | Ankeny IA | 77,833 | $108K | 4.2% | 1.9% | 22% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Wheatland Township IL | 92,693 | $173K | 3.2% | 4.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Plainfield IL | 50,043 | $144K | 4.2% | 3.8% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 619 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 50% | 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 Vernon Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns around Vernon Township
The biggest share goes to Libertyville Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Vernon Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Township | – | A+ | A | 28 min | $145,857 |
| West Deerfield Township | under 3% | A+ | A | 29 min | $204,915 |
| Wheeling Township | under 3% | A | A | 27 min | $106,026 |
| Libertyville Township | 3% | A | A | 26 min | $134,398 |
| Ela Township | under 3% | A+ | A− | 31 min | $173,916 |
| Wheeling | under 3% | B+ | A | 26 min | $85,205 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Vernon 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 Vernon Township: questions
What is the median household income in Vernon Township?
$145,857 (±$6,945) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Vernon Township?
6.3%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Vernon Township?
28 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Vernon Township work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (19%, 28 mi), Buffalo Grove (4%, 2 mi), Lincolnshire (4%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Vernon Township walkable?
Vernon Township is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.9 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Vernon Township without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 4% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Vernon Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Vernon 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.