Photo: Bobertrobert0709 · CC BY-SA 4.0Westmont’s household incomes are higher than in 66% of U.S. towns
Westmont grades A− for jobs and income and A for walkability. 9.8% of residents are in poverty, next to 11.8% for Illinois as a whole. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.4 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 36.9 in Chicago.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Westmont
Westmont trades workers with the towns around it
Westmont has about as many jobs (13,337) as working residents (11,536), but they are mostly different people: 10,959 residents leave for work each day while 12,760 people come in. Only 4% of the jobs in Westmont are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Westmont and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Westmont residents (24%) and also where the most people who work in Westmont come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Westmont draws workers from far and wide
The 13,337 jobs in Westmont are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 32%; the other 64% 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 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Inside Westmont’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westmont is better than 75% of U.S. towns, #287 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Westmont’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down. It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Westmont could be anywhere from B to A.
The workday shuffle in and out of Westmont
On a workday 10,959 residents head out to work, 577 work right here, and 12,760 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 (1.16 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.
24% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Westmont clocks in
24% of workers
5% 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.
What work there is in Westmont: 13,337 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westmont, 2013 → 2023: 12,041 → 13,337. 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 Westmont’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Westmont: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westmont workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,374 commuters (the 22% 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 commute from Westmont, by distance
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.
Westmont is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westmont is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns, #113 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 5.4% 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 12,023 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 73% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 19% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 62% 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). 5.9% of Westmont households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Westmont’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Westmont ranks: 672nd of 1,642 U.S. towns of 17,000 to 33,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 670 | Allendale Township MI | 27,519 | $82K | 21.4% | 5.9% | 11% | A− |
| 671 | Duarte CA | 22,866 | $105K | 8.4% | 5.6% | 8% | A− |
| 672 | Westmont IL | 24,155 | $88K | 9.8% | 4.0% | 5% | A− |
| 673 | North Royalton OH | 30,936 | $84K | 5.8% | 4.6% | 7% | A− |
| 674 | South Burlington VT | 21,394 | $107K | 7.2% | 3.9% | 22% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,642 | 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 Westmont, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Bordering towns draw 10% of Westmont’s workers
The biggest share goes to Downers Grove (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westmont workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westmont | – | A− | A | 27 min | $88,090 |
| Downers Grove | 5% | A | A+ | 28 min | $115,114 |
| Willowbrook | under 2% | A− | A | 27 min | $99,239 |
| Clarendon Hills | under 2% | A | A+ | 29 min | $130,388 |
| Oak Brook | 3% | A− | A | 32 min | $175,870 |
| Hinsdale | 2% | A+ | A+ | 32 min | $250,000+ |
| Darien | under 2% | A | A | 29 min | $111,215 |
| Downers Grove Township | under 2% | A | A | 28 min | $117,335 |
| York Township | under 2% | A− | A | 27 min | $112,233 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Westmont’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 Westmont: questions
What is the median household income in Westmont?
$88,090 (±$4,456) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westmont?
9.8%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westmont?
27 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westmont work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (24%, 15 mi), Downers Grove (5%, 2 mi), Naperville (4%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Westmont walkable?
Westmont is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.9 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westmont without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 19% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westmont, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westmont
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.