With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Western Township works elsewhere
There are 707 jobs in Western Township, and 1,396 of its residents work somewhere. Jobs and income earn Western Township A−; getting around on foot earns it C−. Household incomes here are higher than in 76% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Western Township
A lot of Western Township workers cross into Iowa
18% of Western Township workers work outside Illinois, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Davenport (12%) and Bettendorf (4%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Western Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 23 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
Many jobs in Western Township pay little
26% of the jobs based in Western Township pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. 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.
What’s behind Western Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Western Township is better than 79% of U.S. towns, #260 of 768 in Illinois. The poverty rate is its strongest input (4.4%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 56% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Western Township could be anywhere from B to A.
13% of working residents work in Moline
Where Western Township clocks in
13% of workers
13% of workers
12% 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.
How long Western Township spends getting to work: about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Western Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,268 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.
The kinds of work in Western Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Western Township, 2013 → 2023: 749 → 707. 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 Western Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Western Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 1,209 residents head out to work, 187 work right here, and 520 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,200 people are in Western Township on a workday afternoon, 24% 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.
Western Township’s commute, mile by mile
About 17% 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.
Most of Western Township commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Western Township is more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns, #706 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Western 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 1,477 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). 3.2% of Western Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Western Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Western Township ranks: 877th of 4,882 U.S. towns of 2,000 to 3,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Deer Park IL | 3,647 | $174K | 1.3% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 875 | High Bridge NJ | 3,603 | $112K | 3.4% | 5.9% | 3% | A− |
| 876 | West Point VA | 3,595 | $79K | 3.5% | 0.4% | 13% | A− |
| 877 | Western Township IL | 2,854 | $99K | 4.4% | 3.6% | 13% | A− |
| 878 | Haw Creek Township IN | 3,887 | $87K | 5.3% | 1.4% | 9% | A− |
| 879 | Nelson Township OH | 3,146 | $80K | 2.3% | 3.3% | 3% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,882 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Western Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Western Township and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Western Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Township | – | A− | C− | 23 min | $99,355 |
| Lynn Township | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Rural Township | under 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Osco Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Colona Township | under 2% | A | C | 23 min | $83,769 |
Same-state neighbors only. Lynn Township, Rural Township and Osco Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Western 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 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 Western Township: questions
What is the median household income in Western Township?
$99,355 (±$11,639) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Western Township?
4.4%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Western Township?
23 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Western Township work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Moline (13%, 10 mi), Orion (13%, 1 mi), Davenport (12%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Western Township walkable?
Western Township is more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.2 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Western Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Western Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Western Township
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.