Photo: Captainandy1310 · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Westchester have higher incomes than those in 76% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Westchester are A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Below the poverty line: 5.0% of residents, against 11.8% across Illinois. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.4 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
Westchester at work: what stands out
Westchester trades workers with the towns around it
Westchester has about as many jobs (9,489) as working residents (8,387), but they are mostly different people: 8,092 residents leave for work each day while 9,194 people come in. Only 3% of the jobs in Westchester are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Westchester and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Westchester residents (30%) and also where the most people who work in Westchester come from (26% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Westchester draws workers from far and wide
The 9,489 jobs in Westchester are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 37%; the other 60% 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.
Westchester’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westchester is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #199 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Westchester’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.2%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Westchester could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
In and out of Westchester on a workday
On a workday 8,092 residents head out to work, 295 work right here, and 9,194 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 (1.13 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.
30% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Westchester clocks in
30% of workers
3% of workers
3% 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.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Westchester
9,489 jobs are based in Westchester.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westchester, 2014 → 2024: 8,295 → 9,489. 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 Westchester’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Westchester: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westchester workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,055 commuters (the 14% 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 Westchester goes to work
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Westchester
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westchester is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns, #53 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Westchester 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 8,203 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 90% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 22% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 85% 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). 5.5% of Westchester households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Westchester’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Westchester ranks: 608th of 2,220 U.S. towns of 11,000 to 22,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Deerfield IL | 19,642 | $182K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 606 | Bedford MA | 14,836 | $172K | 5.5% | 6.1% | 8% | A− |
| 607 | Cedar Grove Township NJ | 13,916 | $151K | 4.1% | 8.3% | 5% | A− |
| 608 | Westchester IL | 16,300 | $99K | 5.0% | 5.2% | 4% | A− |
| 609 | Raynham MA | 16,579 | $124K | 7.7% | 3.9% | 9% | A− |
| 610 | Highlands NY | 12,678 | $116K | 4.5% | 4.2% | 13% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,220 | 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 Westchester, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Work in the towns next to Westchester
The biggest share goes to Hillside (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westchester workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westchester | – | A− | A+ | 27 min | $98,954 |
| Hillside | 2% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $72,320 |
| Bellwood | under 2% | B | A+ | 28 min | $79,513 |
| Broadview | under 2% | B− | A | 26 min | $64,697 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Westchester’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 Westchester: questions
What is the median household income in Westchester?
$98,954 (±$7,923) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westchester?
5.0%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westchester?
27 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westchester work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (30%, 11 mi), Oak Brook (3%, 3 mi), Downers Grove (3%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Westchester walkable?
Westchester is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.2 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westchester without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 22% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westchester, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westchester
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.