Kankakee Township at work: jobs, income and the commute
Commuters spend 39 minutes getting to work on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. Only 2% work in Kankakee Township; the top destination outside it is Valparaiso (10%, 19 miles). Employers in Kankakee Township report 454 jobs, against 403 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Kankakee Township: the figures worth knowing
Fewer jobs are based in Kankakee Township than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Kankakee Township fell from 1,473 in 2013 to 454 in 2023, −69%. 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 ↓
Kankakee Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 39 minutes each way, against 24 across Indiana. Over a year that’s about 299 hours of commuting, 115 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
56% of the jobs in Kankakee Township are in trade, transport and utilities, against 19% of the jobs its residents hold. 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; with 403 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Factories, building and farms: 37% of the jobs in Kankakee Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Kankakee Township, 2013 → 2023: 1,473 → 454. 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 Kankakee Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Kankakee Township: about 39 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Kankakee Township workers work from home, vs 11% across Indiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 576 commuters (the 7% who work from home are left out). Across Indiana: 85% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The workday shuffle in and out of Kankakee Township
On a workday 396 residents head out to work, 7 work right here, and 447 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 (1.13 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.
The towns that employ Kankakee Township’s residents
Where Kankakee Township clocks in
10% of workers
5% 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 far Kankakee Township’s workers travel
About 23% 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.
Kankakee Township and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Wheatfield Township (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Kankakee Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kankakee Township | – | — | — | 39 min | $81,971 |
| Pleasant Township | under 3% | A− | D | 31 min | $87,389 |
| Wheatfield Township | 5% | B | C+ | 29 min | $80,150 |
| Railroad Township | under 3% | B+ | D− | 27 min | $90,000 |
| Walker Township | under 3% | C+ | D− | 38 min | $91,932 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Kankakee 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 Kankakee Township: questions
What is the median household income in Kankakee Township?
$81,971 (±$21,275) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,957 across Indiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Kankakee Township?
8.2%, against 12.3% across Indiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Kankakee Township?
39 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Indiana and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Kankakee Township work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Valparaiso (10%, 19 mi), Wheatfield Township (5%, 6 mi), DeMotte (5%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Kankakee Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Kankakee Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Kankakee 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.