Work & commute · Sterling

Work & commute in Sterling, IL

About one in 3 of Sterling’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Sterling (13%), Dixon (8%) and Rock Falls (5%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

29%

1,812 of 6,171 working residents

Typical commute

5 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

18 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 4,359 Sterling residents head out of town to work, 1,812 work right here, and 6,358 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Sterling.

4,359live here, work elsewhere

1,812live and work here

6,358work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Sterling goes to work

Sterling (in town)right here

29%1,812

Sterling1.1 mi away

13%778

Dixon11.6 mi away

8%479

Rock Falls1.9 mi away

5%336

Morrison13.7 mi away

2%101

Chicago103.6 mi away

2%99

Dubuque, IA70.8 mi away

2%97

Rockford45.4 mi away

1%82

Dixon13.1 mi away

1%79

Hopkins5.8 mi away

1%75

Everywhere elseother towns and states

36%2,233

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

How far

How far Sterling commutes

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

52%

15%

10%

22%

52%Under 10 mi

15%10–24 mi

10%25–50 mi

22%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Sterling is balanced between jobs and homes

1.32jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.32 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Sterling are

8,170 jobs are based in Sterling. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Sterling’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Sterling

8,170 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)16%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)64%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month52%

Jobs Sterling residents hold

6,171 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)27%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)54%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month54%

+12%

Jobs based in Sterling, 2013 → 2023: 7,268 → 8,170. 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.