Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0At 8.6%, unemployment in North Canaan is higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
About one in four work in North Canaan itself; outside it, Salisbury draws the most (11%, 7 miles). The two grades for North Canaan are C− for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Commuters spend 22 minutes getting to work on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in North Canaan, in brief
North Canaan makes and builds things
43% of the jobs based in North Canaan are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs North Canaan residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 20%. The jobs ↓
Commutes from North Canaan are quick
The average trip to work takes 22 minutes, against 27 across Connecticut. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Connecticut worker. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in North Canaan pay over $40,000 a year
72% of the jobs based in North Canaan pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for North Canaan
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Canaan is better than 17% of U.S. towns, #154 of 155 in Connecticut. Household income holds North Canaan’s grade up ($71,976, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Canaan could be anywhere from D− to B+.
Goods jobs make up 43% of work in North Canaan
1,988 jobs are based in North Canaan.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Canaan, 2014 → 2024: 2,094 → 1,988. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs North Canaan’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 22 minutes to work from North Canaan
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Canaan workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,281 commuters (the 12% who work from home are left out). Across Connecticut: 82% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
A workday in North Canaan: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 1,093 residents head out to work, 373 work right here, and 1,615 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,800 people are in North Canaan on a workday afternoon, 16% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.36 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where North Canaan’s working residents head each day
Where North Canaan clocks in
11% of workers
5% of workers
4% 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.
How far it is to work from North Canaan
About 19% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
North Canaan is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Canaan is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns, #38 of 155 in Connecticut. Both inputs place North Canaan 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 1,458 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 37% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 6.7% of North Canaan households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of North Canaan’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 2,300 to 4,400, North Canaan ranks 3,695th of 4,453 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Andover CT | 3,173 | $135K | 1.8% | 0.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 180 | Woodmont CT | 2,391 | $91K | 1.9% | 2.8% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 360 | Lyme CT | 2,424 | $135K | 2.9% | 2.9% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,693 | Camden TN | 3,690 | $55K | 19.8% | 4.4% | 25% | C− |
| 3,694 | Cactus TX | 3,165 | $45K | 20.9% | 2.9% | 53% | C− |
| 3,695 | North Canaan CT | 3,231 | $72K | 13.4% | 8.6% | 25% | C− |
| 3,696 | Falls City NE | 3,988 | $52K | 11.4% | 5.3% | 46% | C− |
| 3,697 | Silver Creek NY | 2,575 | $64K | 21.5% | 6.7% | 13% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,453 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | 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 North Canaan, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
Bordering towns draw 14% of North Canaan’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Canaan workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Canaan | – | C− | A− | 22 min | $71,976 |
| Salisbury | 11% | B− | A− | 20 min | $124,256 |
| Canaan | 3% | C | A− | 17 min | $89,632 |
| Norfolk | under 2% | B− | B | 27 min | $91,548 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Salisbury. Darker towns draw more of North Canaan’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, 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 North Canaan: questions
What is the median household income in North Canaan?
$71,976 (±$26,329) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Canaan?
13.4%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Canaan?
22 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Canaan work?
25% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Salisbury (11%, 7 mi), Sheffield (5%, 7 mi), New York City (4%, 100 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is North Canaan walkable?
North Canaan is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.2 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Canaan without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Canaan, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Canaan
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.