Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 3.0River Ridge has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
River Ridge has 1,588 jobs; 5,886 of its residents have a job. The two grades for River Ridge are A− for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Only 4% work in River Ridge; the top destination outside it is New Orleans (24%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in River Ridge: the figures worth knowing
Most River Ridge residents work close to home
76% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. How far ↓
River Ridge and New Orleans trade workers both ways
New Orleans is the top workplace for River Ridge residents (24%) and also where the most people who work in River Ridge come from (14% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside River Ridge
64% of River Ridge residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 40% of the jobs based in River Ridge pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 96% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
River Ridge is a place people come home to
There are 1,588 jobs based in River Ridge, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday River Ridge has about 9,000 people in it, 32% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
River Ridge has added jobs fast
Jobs based in River Ridge went from 1,137 in 2013 to 1,588 in 2023, +40%. 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 River Ridge earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, River Ridge is better than 75% of U.S. towns, #11 of 161 in Louisiana. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 91% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (9.7%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, River Ridge could be anywhere from B to A.
How far River Ridge goes to work
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.
Where the trip to work from River Ridge ends
Where River Ridge clocks in
24% of workers
18% of workers
10% 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.
What River Ridge’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in River Ridge, 2013 → 2023: 1,137 → 1,588. 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 River Ridge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes River Ridge
On a workday 5,657 residents head out to work, 229 work right here, and 1,359 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,000 people are in River Ridge on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting from River Ridge: about 26 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of River Ridge workers work from home, vs 8% across Louisiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,679 commuters (the 14% who work from home are left out). Across Louisiana: 85% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Driving is how River Ridge gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, River Ridge is more walkable than 49% of U.S. towns, #91 of 161 in Louisiana. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.3% across Louisiana.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,583 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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). 6.4% of River Ridge households have no vehicle (Louisiana 8.4%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of River Ridge’s commuters take a bus or train.
River Ridge next to U.S. towns of 9,000 to 18,000: 930th of 2,526 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 345 | Belle Chasse LA | 10,934 | $115K | 6.1% | 2.5% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 727 | Mandeville LA | 12,918 | $94K | 7.1% | 2.9% | 16% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 855 | Moss Bluff LA | 12,482 | $92K | 8.9% | 1.1% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 928 | Collegedale TN | 11,499 | $70K | 7.3% | 1.6% | 4% | A− |
| 929 | West Norriton Township PA | 16,290 | $95K | 5.0% | 6.7% | 5% | A− |
| 930 | River Ridge LA | 13,312 | $84K | 9.7% | 3.3% | 4% | A− |
| 931 | Lincolnwood IL | 13,039 | $110K | 6.3% | 7.8% | 6% | A− |
| 932 | Antrim Township PA | 16,481 | $94K | 4.0% | 2.5% | 11% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,526 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 River Ridge, the top three, the last and three more from Louisiana.
The towns next door employ 27% of River Ridge
The biggest share goes to Metairie (18%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | River Ridge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Ridge | – | A− | B− | 26 min | $84,336 |
| Harahan | 2% | A− | A− | 20 min | $79,516 |
| Waggaman | under 2% | C | C− | 30 min | $68,374 |
| Metairie | 18% | B | A− | 22 min | $73,042 |
| Kenner | 7% | C+ | A− | 25 min | $64,020 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of River Ridge’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 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 River Ridge: questions
What is the median household income in River Ridge?
$84,336 (±$9,814) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,756 across Louisiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in River Ridge?
9.7%, against 18.9% across Louisiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from River Ridge?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Louisiana and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in River Ridge work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New Orleans (24%, 18 mi), Metairie (18%, 4 mi), Elmwood (10%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is River Ridge walkable?
River Ridge is more walkable than 49% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.9 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around River Ridge without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from River Ridge, from the people who make the trip.
More of River Ridge
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.