Work & commute · North Chicago

Work & commute in North Chicago, IL

Most working residents leave North Chicago for work: only 7% work in town. The top destinations are Chicago (20%), Waukegan (8%) and Gurnee (3%). Half commute less than 20 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

574 of 8,661 working residents

Typical commute

20 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

17 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

26%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 8,087 North Chicago residents head out of town to work, 574 work right here, and 11,857 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in North Chicago.

8,087live here, work elsewhere

574live and work here

11,857work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where North Chicago goes to work

Chicago34.3 mi away

20%1,702

Waukegan3.7 mi away

8%736

North Chicago (in town)right here

7%574

Gurnee5.4 mi away

3%265

Vernon Hills7.7 mi away

2%167

Evanston20.5 mi away

2%164

Libertyville5.9 mi away

2%158

Northbrook13 mi away

2%154

Libertyville4.9 mi away

2%150

Lake Forest5.6 mi away

2%148

Everywhere elseother towns and states

51%4,443

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

How far

How far North Chicago commutes

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

33%

26%

31%

10%

33%Under 10 mi

26%10–24 mi

31%25–50 mi

10%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

North Chicago is balanced between jobs and homes

1.44jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.44 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in North Chicago are

12,431 jobs are based in North Chicago. Here is what they are, next to the jobs North Chicago’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in North Chicago

12,431 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)41%

Trade, transport & utilities11%

Services (health, schools, offices…)47%

$1,250 a month or less7%

$1,251–$3,333 a month10%

Over $3,333 a month83%

Jobs North Chicago residents hold

8,661 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)14%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)65%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month56%

+120%

Jobs based in North Chicago, 2013 → 2023: 5,644 → 12,431. 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.