Home to Work Travel
To further study the relationship between location of jobs and location of employees, it
is important to look at work travel. U.S. Census data show the inflow and outflow of
employees to their jobs. In Lake County, there is a fairly even split between county
residents who live and work in the county (152,761), those that leave the county for
work (157,759), and those that come from outside the area to work (163,533).
In Waukegan, the number of people living and employed in the area (6,572) is far fewer
than those who leave the city for work (26,313) and those who enter the city for work
(25,461).
North Chicago is in a similar situation to Waukegan, with a low number of people who
live and work in the city (655) compared with high levels of people who leave the city for
work (8,301) and those who enter the city for work (18,308). The employment situation
in Waukegan and North Chicago is challenging for city residents. However, both cities
also have high rates of inflow, which suggests that the jobs in each city could potentially
be accessible to local residents.
Workforce Demographics
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, county residents are employed in high-earning
positions. The earnings are split into three brackets: $1,250 per month or less; $1,251 to
$3,333 per month; and more than $3,333 per month. Approximately 48 percent of
employed residents have earnings above $3,333 per month, while 22 percent earn
$1,250 or less per month. However, these concentrations of high-earning residents do
not live in every county community. Compared to the overall county number, Waukegan
and North Chicago have lower shares of high-earning residents. In Waukegan, 30
percent are higher earners, 45 percent are middle earners, and 25 percent are lower
earners.