Households in Williams Township have higher incomes than those in 90% of U.S. towns
Only 3% stay in Williams Township for work; outside it, Springfield is the main destination (51%, 11 miles). The poverty rate is 4.2% (Illinois 11.8%). Williams Township grades A for jobs and income and C for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Williams Township and work: the main findings
More than half of Williams Township works in Springfield
835 working residents, 51%, have their main job in Springfield, 11 miles away. That’s 17 times as many as work in Williams Township itself. The commute map ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Williams Township than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Williams Township fell from 944 in 2013 to 580 in 2023, −39%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Williams Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 22 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
Williams Township makes and builds things
37% of the jobs based in Williams Township are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Williams Township residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 9%. The jobs ↓
Williams Township empties out on a workday
About 2,400 people are in Williams Township on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than the 3,400 who live here: 1,600 head out to work and 530 come in. Day and night ↓
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.
The figures behind Williams Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Williams Township is better than 94% of U.S. towns, #68 of 768 in Illinois. Unemployment is its strongest input (0.4%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 55% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Williams Township could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Out of Williams Township to work: where people go
Where Williams Township clocks in
51% 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.
Williams Township works in goods: 37% of its jobs
580 jobs are based in Williams Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Williams Township, 2013 → 2023: 944 → 580. 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 Williams Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 22 minutes to work from Williams Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Williams Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,275 commuters (the 17% 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 daily commute in and out of Williams Township
On a workday 1,578 residents head out to work, 51 work right here, and 529 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,400 people are in Williams Township on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than live here.
0.36 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Short hops and long hauls from Williams Township
About 21% 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.
Driving is how Williams Township gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Williams Township is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns, #664 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.2% 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 1,538 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 28% 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 2.5% of Williams Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Williams Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Williams Township next to U.S. towns of 2,400 to 4,600: 261st of 4,402 on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 259 | Arcola VA | 3,509 | $129K | 7.1% | 1.7% | 3% | A |
| 260 | Fayetteville NY | 4,126 | $128K | 5.2% | 1.5% | 4% | A |
| 261 | Williams Township IL | 3,426 | $126K | 4.2% | 0.4% | 3% | A |
| 262 | Sylvan Township MI | 3,545 | $103K | 2.0% | 2.2% | 2% | A |
| 263 | Taylor Creek OH | 4,253 | $99K | 3.7% | 2.2% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,402 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Williams Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Williams Township and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Sherman (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Williams Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Township | – | A | C | 22 min | $125,583 |
| Clear Lake Township | under 2% | A− | C+ | 24 min | $86,473 |
| Fancy Creek Township | under 2% | A | B− | 21 min | $145,385 |
| Sherman | 4% | A | B− | 21 min | $148,906 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Williams 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 Williams Township: questions
What is the median household income in Williams Township?
$125,583 (±$32,245) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Williams Township?
4.2%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Williams Township?
22 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Williams Township work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Springfield (51%, 11 mi), Sherman (4%, 4 mi), Riverton (3%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Williams Township walkable?
Williams Township is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 7.1 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Williams Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Williams Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Williams 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.