Work & commute · Winnetka

Work & commute in Winnetka, IL

Most working residents leave Winnetka for work: only 7% work in town. The top destinations are Chicago (48%), Evanston (4%) and Northbrook (3%). Half commute less than 16 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

336 of 5,078 working residents

Typical commute

16 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

33 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

29%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 4,742 Winnetka residents head out of town to work, 336 work right here, and 3,886 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Winnetka.

4,742live here, work elsewhere

336live and work here

3,886work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Winnetka goes to work

Chicago18.8 mi away

48%2,424

Winnetka (in town)right here

7%336

Evanston4.8 mi away

4%184

Northbrook5 mi away

3%134

Skokie4.9 mi away

2%95

Glenview4.6 mi away

2%82

Highland Park6.3 mi away

1%58

Wilmette2.1 mi away

1%55

Schaumburg18.3 mi away

1%52

Glencoe2.2 mi away

1%47

Everywhere elseother towns and states

32%1,611

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

How far

How far Winnetka commutes

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

27%

63%

27%Under 10 mi

63%10–24 mi

6%25–50 mi

4%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Winnetka is balanced between jobs and homes

0.83jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (0.83 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Winnetka are

4,222 jobs are based in Winnetka. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Winnetka’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Winnetka

4,222 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)1%

Trade, transport & utilities7%

Services (health, schools, offices…)91%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month22%

Over $3,333 a month60%

Jobs Winnetka residents hold

5,078 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)8%

Trade, transport & utilities14%

Services (health, schools, offices…)78%

$1,250 a month or less10%

$1,251–$3,333 a month13%

Over $3,333 a month77%

+10%

Jobs based in Winnetka, 2013 → 2023: 3,836 → 4,222. 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.