Photo: Teemu08 at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0More people are out of work in West Chicago (9.5%) than in 93% of U.S. towns
West Chicago grades B for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. Measured by household income, West Chicago is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. About one in ten stay in West Chicago for work; outside it, Chicago is the main destination (14%, 28 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets West Chicago apart on work
West Chicago’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside West Chicago is Chicago, 28 miles away as the crow flies. 14% of working residents (1,750) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
West Chicago draws workers from far and wide
The 16,644 jobs in West Chicago are filled from a wide area. West Chicago’s own residents hold 9% and the ten next-biggest home towns 30%; the other 61% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
West Chicago makes and builds things
36% of the jobs based in West Chicago are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs West Chicago residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 19%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Why West Chicago gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Chicago is better than 55% of U.S. towns, #470 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds West Chicago’s grade up (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Chicago could be anywhere from B− to B+.
How far it is to work from West Chicago
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.
Where the trip to work from West Chicago ends
Where West Chicago clocks in
14% of workers
4% 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.
West Chicago works in goods: 36% of its jobs
16,644 jobs are based in West Chicago.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Chicago, 2013 → 2023: 15,510 → 16,644. 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 West Chicago’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who leaves West Chicago for work, and who comes in
On a workday 11,000 residents head out to work, 1,425 work right here, and 15,219 people come in from elsewhere.
About 30,000 people are in West Chicago on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.34 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Time on the road from West Chicago: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Chicago workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,117 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.
Getting around West Chicago: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Chicago is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns, #392 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.6% 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 12,597 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 16% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 50% 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). 6.3% of West Chicago households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of West Chicago’s commuters take a bus or train.
West Chicago places 946th of 1,516 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 18,000 to 34,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Deerfield IL | 19,642 | $182K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | West Deerfield Township IL | 32,111 | $205K | 2.7% | 2.7% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 944 | Rosemont CA | 23,766 | $90K | 16.6% | 5.6% | 3% | B |
| 945 | Fallbrook CA | 32,112 | $96K | 11.9% | 5.2% | 17% | B |
| 946 | West Chicago IL | 25,296 | $100K | 13.0% | 9.5% | 11% | B |
| 947 | Montgomery NY | 23,425 | $93K | 11.1% | 5.4% | 18% | B |
| 948 | South Salt Lake UT | 26,934 | $72K | 15.8% | 4.3% | 7% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,516 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 West Chicago, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns around West Chicago
The biggest share goes to St. Charles (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Chicago workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Chicago | – | B | B+ | 26 min | $99,927 |
| St. Charles | 4% | A | A− | 27 min | $114,300 |
| Wayne | under 3% | A+ | B− | 28 min | $161,719 |
| Wayne Township | under 3% | A | B | 29 min | $136,513 |
| Batavia | 2% | A | A | 29 min | $120,056 |
| Geneva Township | under 3% | A+ | A | 28 min | $141,890 |
| St. Charles Township | under 3% | A | A− | 28 min | $128,204 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Chicago’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 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 West Chicago: questions
What is the median household income in West Chicago?
$99,927 (±$8,600) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Chicago?
13.0%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Chicago?
26 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Chicago work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (14%, 28 mi), St. Charles (4%, 5 mi), Naperville (4%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Chicago walkable?
West Chicago is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Chicago without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Chicago, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Chicago
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. 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.