Work & commute · Thomson

Work & commute in Thomson, IL

Most working residents leave Thomson for work: only 5% work in town. The top destinations are Clinton (8%), Savanna (6%) and Chicago (6%). Half commute less than 46 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

21 of 413 working residents

Typical commute

46 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 392 Thomson residents head out of town to work, 21 work right here, and 142 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Thomson.

392live here, work elsewhere

21live and work here

142work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Thomson goes to work

Clinton, IA11.3 mi away

8%31

Savanna8.3 mi away

6%26

Chicago125.2 mi away

6%23

Thomson (in town)right here

5%21

Fulton7.9 mi away

3%12

Sterling24.6 mi away

2%10

Davenport, IA38.4 mi away

2%10

Springfield152.8 mi away

2%9

Rockford57.2 mi away

2%9

York2.9 mi away

2%8

Everywhere elseother towns and states

62%254

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

How far

How far Thomson commutes

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

18%

20%

15%

47%

18%Under 10 mi

20%10–24 mi

15%25–50 mi

47%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Thomson is a commuter town

0.39jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.39 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Thomson are

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

Jobs based in Thomson

163 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)8%

Trade, transport & utilities36%

Services (health, schools, offices…)56%

$1,250 a month or less24%

$1,251–$3,333 a month26%

Over $3,333 a month50%

Jobs Thomson residents hold

413 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)26%

Trade, transport & utilities26%

Services (health, schools, offices…)48%

$1,250 a month or less20%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month50%

−5%

Jobs based in Thomson, 2013 → 2023: 172 → 163. 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.