Henry I. Paddock House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainUnemployment in Winthrop Harbor (9.9%) is higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Winthrop Harbor is better than 65% of U.S. towns (B); for walkability it is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns (C+). Only 3% stay in Winthrop Harbor for work; outside it, Waukegan is the main destination (10%, 8 miles). Measured by household income, Winthrop Harbor is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Winthrop Harbor at work: what stands out
Winthrop Harbor is a place people come home to
There are 453 jobs based in Winthrop Harbor, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Winthrop Harbor has about 4,100 people in it, 38% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Winthrop Harbor workers cross into Wisconsin
18% of Winthrop Harbor workers work outside Illinois, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Kenosha (6%) and Pleasant Prairie (5%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Winthrop Harbor
63% of Winthrop Harbor residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 45% of the jobs based in Winthrop Harbor pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Winthrop Harbor pay little
26% of the jobs based in Winthrop Harbor 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.
The figures behind Winthrop Harbor’s Jobs & income grade
Job access by car holds Winthrop Harbor’s grade up (ahead of 80% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. 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, Winthrop Harbor could be anywhere from B− to A.
The workday shuffle in and out of Winthrop Harbor
On a workday 2,828 residents head out to work, 87 work right here, and 366 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,100 people are in Winthrop Harbor on a workday afternoon, 38% fewer than live here.
0.16 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.
Where Winthrop Harbor goes to work
Where Winthrop Harbor clocks in
10% of workers
7% of workers
7% 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 the 453 jobs in Winthrop Harbor are
453 jobs are based in Winthrop Harbor.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Winthrop Harbor, 2013 → 2023: 489 → 453. 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 Winthrop Harbor’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 30 minutes each way, longer than most of Illinois
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Winthrop Harbor workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,778 commuters (the 11% 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 it is to work from Winthrop Harbor
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 Winthrop Harbor commutes by car
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.5% 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 3,127 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 24% 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 0.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 51% 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). 5.1% of Winthrop Harbor households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Winthrop Harbor’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Winthrop Harbor ranks: 1,316th of 3,218 U.S. towns of 4,600 to 8,800
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | South Barrington IL | 5,071 | $222K | 1.0% | 2.0% | 4% | A+ |
| 11 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Northfield IL | 5,632 | $162K | 3.2% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,314 | Hamilton Township IN | 7,302 | $74K | 9.2% | 1.8% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,315 | Upper Pottsgrove Township PA | 6,356 | $122K | 8.5% | 7.9% | 2% | B+ |
| 1,316 | Winthrop Harbor IL | 6,525 | $96K | 5.2% | 9.9% | 3% | B |
| 1,317 | Valley Center Township KS | 5,036 | $61K | 6.1% | 3.2% | 8% | B |
| 1,318 | Oakland ME | 6,361 | $78K | 8.1% | 1.7% | 14% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 3,218 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Winthrop Harbor, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
12% of Winthrop Harbor works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Zion (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Winthrop Harbor workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winthrop Harbor | – | B | C+ | 30 min | $95,690 |
| Benton Township | under 2% | B− | B+ | 29 min | $82,995 |
| Zion | 7% | C+ | A− | 28 min | $63,104 |
| Zion Township | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Zion Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Winthrop Harbor’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 Winthrop Harbor: questions
What is the median household income in Winthrop Harbor?
$95,690 (±$10,617) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Winthrop Harbor?
5.2%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Winthrop Harbor?
30 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Winthrop Harbor work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waukegan (10%, 8 mi), Zion (7%, 2 mi), Chicago (7%, 45 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Winthrop Harbor walkable?
Winthrop Harbor is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.6 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Winthrop Harbor without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Winthrop Harbor, from the people who make the trip.
More of Winthrop Harbor
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.