Work & commute · Chicago

Work & commute in Chicago, ND

Most working residents leave Chicago for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Jamestown (44%), Fargo (11%) and Montpelier (6%). Half commute less than 26 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

1 of 18 working residents

Typical commute

26 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

16 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

35%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 17 Chicago residents head out of town to work, 1 work right here, and 21 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Chicago.

17live here, work elsewhere

1live and work here

21work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Chicago goes to work

Jamestown27.3 mi away

44%8

Fargo115.2 mi away

11%2

Montpelier33.8 mi away

6%1

Devils Lake88.9 mi away

6%1

Bismarck71 mi away

6%1

Grand Forks125.8 mi away

6%1

Streeter13.7 mi away

6%1

Griffin14.5 mi away

6%1

Chicago (in town)right here

6%1

Fried31 mi away

6%1

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

How far

How far Chicago commutes

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

33%

28%

6%Under 10 mi

33%10–24 mi

33%25–50 mi

28%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Chicago is balanced between jobs and homes

1.22jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.22 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Chicago are

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

Jobs based in Chicago

22 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)100%

Trade, transport & utilities0%

Services (health, schools, offices…)0%

$1,250 a month or less0%

$1,251–$3,333 a month23%

Over $3,333 a month77%

Jobs Chicago residents hold

18 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)61%

$1,250 a month or less6%

$1,251–$3,333 a month33%

Over $3,333 a month61%

−37%

Jobs based in Chicago, 2013 → 2023: 35 → 22. 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.