West Lincoln Township has lower unemployment (2.6%) than 76% of U.S. towns
8% of workers work from home (Illinois 16%). Jobs and income earn West Lincoln Township B−; getting around on foot earns it B+. About one in four stay in West Lincoln Township for work; outside it, Lincoln is the main destination (30%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where West Lincoln Township stands out on work
West Lincoln Township and Lincoln trade workers both ways
Lincoln is the top workplace for West Lincoln Township residents (30%) and also where the most people who work in West Lincoln Township come from (33% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Commutes from West Lincoln Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 84 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.
Inside West Lincoln Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Lincoln Township is better than 49% of U.S. towns, #507 of 768 in Illinois. Unemployment holds West Lincoln Township’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($59,914, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Lincoln Township could be anywhere from C to B+.
Where West Lincoln Township goes to work
Where West Lincoln Township clocks in
30% of workers
15% 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.
Getting to work from West Lincoln Township takes about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Lincoln Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,299 commuters (the 7% 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 a workday changes West Lincoln Township
On a workday 1,962 residents head out to work, 674 work right here, and 2,782 people come in from elsewhere.
About 8,100 people are in West Lincoln Township on a workday afternoon, 11% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.31 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.
A place that makes things: 31% of West Lincoln Township’s jobs are in goods
3,456 jobs are based in West Lincoln Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Lincoln Township, 2014 → 2024: 3,585 → 3,456. 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 West Lincoln Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from West Lincoln 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.
In West Lincoln Township, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Lincoln Township is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns, #422 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.2% 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 3,566 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 10.5% of West Lincoln Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of West Lincoln Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,824th of 3,122: where West Lincoln Township ranks among U.S. towns of 5,100 to 9,800
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 35 | Northfield IL | 5,632 | $162K | 3.2% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,822 | Baxter MN | 9,217 | $71K | 13.1% | 2.3% | 21% | B− |
| 1,823 | Lone Grove OK | 5,244 | $74K | 14.4% | 1.9% | 3% | B− |
| 1,824 | West Lincoln Township IL | 7,252 | $60K | 11.7% | 2.6% | 26% | B− |
| 1,825 | Redlands CO | 8,868 | $92K | 6.9% | 6.3% | 4% | B− |
| 1,826 | Dallas NC | 6,392 | $58K | 10.5% | 4.5% | 2% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,122 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 6% | 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 Lincoln Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Next door is work for 31% of West Lincoln Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Lincoln Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Lincoln Township | – | B− | B+ | 17 min | $59,914 |
| Broadwell Township | 1% | C+ | C+ | 21 min | $69,531 |
| Orvil Township | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| East Lincoln Township | under 2% | C | A− | 20 min | $59,344 |
| Lincoln | 30% | C+ | A− | 18 min | $57,340 |
| Sheridan Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Orvil Township: not graded. Sheridan Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Lincoln. Darker towns draw more of West Lincoln 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 West Lincoln Township: questions
What is the median household income in West Lincoln Township?
$59,914 (±$8,174) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Lincoln Township?
11.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Lincoln Township?
17 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Lincoln Township work?
26% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lincoln (30%, 4 mi), Springfield (15%, 29 mi), Decatur (3%, 34 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is West Lincoln Township walkable?
West Lincoln Township is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.7 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Lincoln Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Lincoln Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Lincoln 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.