Households in Newark earn more than those in 97% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.8 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.5 in San Francisco. Below the poverty line: 4.3% of residents, next to 12.0% for California as a whole. The two grades for Newark are A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Newark: the gist
Newark trades workers with the towns around it
Newark has about as many jobs (21,375) as working residents (24,968), but they are mostly different people: 23,320 residents leave for work each day while 19,727 people come in. Only 8% of the jobs in Newark are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Three in four Newark workers earn over $40,000 a year
79% of Newark’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Newark has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Newark went from 15,074 in 2013 to 21,375 in 2023, +42%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Newark
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Newark is better than 93% of U.S. towns, #35 of 847 in California. Household income holds Newark’s grade up ($169,064, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Newark could be anywhere from A to A+.
How a workday changes Newark
On a workday 23,320 residents head out to work, 1,648 work right here, and 19,727 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.86 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
69% of the jobs in Newark pay over $3,333 a month
21,375 jobs are based in Newark.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Newark, 2013 → 2023: 15,074 → 21,375. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Newark’s own residents hold wherever they work.
13% of working residents work in Fremont
Where Newark clocks in
13% of workers
9% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The trip to work from Newark: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Newark workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 20,057 commuters (the 23% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Half of Newark commutes less than 11 miles
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Newark is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Newark is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #101 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Newark near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 26,049 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 90% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 29% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 91% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.9% of Newark households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Newark’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Newark ranks: 87th of 909 U.S. towns of 34,000 to 65,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 70 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 85 | Haverford Township PA | 50,997 | $132K | 3.4% | 4.3% | 8% | A |
| 86 | Homer Township IL | 41,948 | $136K | 4.5% | 4.0% | 7% | A |
| 87 | Newark CA | 47,895 | $169K | 4.3% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| 88 | Cornelius NC | 35,094 | $114K | 5.4% | 2.4% | 10% | A |
| 89 | Violet Township OH | 50,908 | $122K | 3.4% | 3.6% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 122 | Aliso Viejo CA | 49,844 | $142K | 5.1% | 4.2% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 909 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Newark, the top three, the last and three more from California.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Newark: questions
What is the median household income in Newark?
$169,064 (±$9,066) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Newark?
4.3%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Newark?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Newark work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Fremont (13%, 5 mi), San Jose (9%, 19 mi), San Francisco (6%, 28 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Newark walkable?
Newark is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.6 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Newark without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 29% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Newark, from the people who make the trip.
More of Newark
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.