Photo: Zol87 · CC BY-SA 2.0Household incomes put Winnetka near the very top of U.S. towns
Household incomes here are among the highest in the country. 1.6% of residents live below the poverty line (Illinois 11.8%). The two grades for Winnetka are A+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Winnetka apart
Nearly half of Winnetka works in Chicago
2,424 working residents, 48%, have their main job in Chicago, 19 miles away. That’s 7 times as many as work in Winnetka itself. The commute map ↓
A lot of Winnetka works from home
29% of Winnetka workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Time on the road ↓
Nearly all the work in Winnetka is services
91% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 1% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
Three in four Winnetka workers earn over $40,000 a year
77% of Winnetka’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Winnetka workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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 drives the Jobs & income grade in Winnetka
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Winnetka is better than 98% of U.S. towns, #15 of 768 in Illinois. Household income is its strongest input ($250,000+, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
The Census reports Winnetka’s median household income as $250,000+, the top of its scale; the grade ranks it as tied with the 111 other graded places at that ceiling.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Winnetka could be anywhere from A to A+.
48% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Winnetka clocks in
48% of workers
4% 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.
About 33 minutes to work from Winnetka
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Winnetka workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,458 commuters (the 29% 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.
Services make up most of the work in Winnetka
4,222 jobs are based in Winnetka.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Winnetka, 2013 → 2023: 3,836 → 4,222. 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 Winnetka’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A workday in Winnetka: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 4,742 residents head out to work, 336 work right here, and 3,886 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 (0.83 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.
Winnetka’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Winnetka 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, Winnetka is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns, #18 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Winnetka 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 4,887 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 87% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 57% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 89% 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). 2.7% of Winnetka households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 23% of Winnetka’s commuters take a bus or train.
47th of 2,354: where Winnetka ranks among U.S. towns of 9,000 to 17,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | La Grange IL | 15,935 | $160K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 40 | Riverside Township IL | 16,083 | $122K | 4.5% | 1.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Lansdowne VA | 12,328 | $169K | 3.6% | 1.8% | 5% | A+ |
| 46 | Maltby WA | 10,910 | $185K | 3.9% | 1.4% | 4% | A+ |
| 47 | Winnetka IL | 12,518 | $250K | 1.6% | 3.4% | 7% | A+ |
| 48 | Itasca IL | 9,488 | $114K | 2.0% | 2.6% | 7% | A+ |
| 49 | Oakwood OH | 9,441 | $157K | 2.7% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,354 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Winnetka, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns around Winnetka
The biggest share goes to Glencoe (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Winnetka workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnetka | – | A+ | A+ | 33 min | $250,000+ |
| New Trier Township | under 1% | A+ | A+ | 34 min | $215,916 |
| Glencoe | 1% | A+ | A+ | 36 min | $248,933 |
| Kenilworth | under 1% | A+ | A+ | 35 min | $250,000+ |
| Northfield | under 1% | A+ | A+ | 25 min | $161,500 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Winnetka’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.
- A ceiling on income. The Census stops at $250,000+, so the true median may be higher.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Winnetka: questions
What is the median household income in Winnetka?
$250,000+ (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Winnetka?
1.6%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Winnetka?
33 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 29% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Winnetka work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (48%, 19 mi), Evanston (4%, 5 mi), Northbrook (3%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Winnetka walkable?
Winnetka is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.1 out of 20, and 26% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Winnetka without a car?
23% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 57% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Winnetka, from the people who make the trip.
More of Winnetka
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.