Work & commute · Capital

Work & commute in Capital, IL

62% of Capital’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Springfield (63%), Chicago (2%) and Decatur (1%). Half commute less than 4 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

62%

28,263 of 45,807 working residents

Typical commute

4 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

17 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

14%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 17,544 Capital residents head out of town to work, 28,263 work right here, and 71,201 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Capital.

17,544live here, work elsewhere

28,263live and work here

71,201work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Capital goes to work

Springfield0 mi away

63%29,086

Chicago174.6 mi away

2%1,139

Decatur38 mi away

1%589

Peoria66.4 mi away

1%550

Woodside4.3 mi away

1%530

Bloomington59.2 mi away

1%509

Riverton6.9 mi away

1%465

Springfield3.9 mi away

1%459

Carbondale144.7 mi away

1%440

Jacksonville31.5 mi away

1%374

Everywhere elseother towns and states

25%11,666

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Capital commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

70%

24%

70%Under 10 mi

2%10–24 mi

4%25–50 mi

24%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Capital is a job hub

2.17jobs per working resident

A job hub

2.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Capital are

99,464 jobs are based in Capital. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Capital’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Capital

99,464 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)4%

Trade, transport & utilities12%

Services (health, schools, offices…)84%

$1,250 a month or less10%

$1,251–$3,333 a month23%

Over $3,333 a month68%

Jobs Capital residents hold

45,807 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)8%

Trade, transport & utilities15%

Services (health, schools, offices…)77%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month56%

−2%

Jobs based in Capital, 2013 → 2023: 101,458 → 99,464. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.