Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Newton have higher incomes than those in 98% of U.S. towns
Newton grades A+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. The poverty rate is 4.5%; Massachusetts has 10.0%. For 32% of workers, the job is at home (Massachusetts 19%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Newton in brief
Much of Newton works one town over
48% of working residents work in a town that borders Newton: Boston (35%), Waltham (5%) and Needham (2%). Next door ↓
Newton trades workers with the towns around it
Newton has about as many jobs (45,891) as working residents (38,152), but they are mostly different people: 33,459 residents leave for work each day while 41,198 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Newton are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Most Newton residents work close to home
77% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. Only 4% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
Home offices are common in Newton
32% of Newton workers work from home, against 19% across Massachusetts. Time on the road ↓
Three in four Newton workers earn over $40,000 a year
79% of Newton’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 ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Newton
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Newton is better than 95% of U.S. towns, #28 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income is its strongest input ($190,304, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Newton could be anywhere from A to A+.
The daily commute in and out of Newton
On a workday 33,459 residents head out to work, 4,693 work right here, and 41,198 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 (1.20 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.
How far Newton 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.
About 27 minutes to work from Newton
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Newton workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 31,145 commuters (the 32% who work from home are left out). Across Massachusetts: 75% drive alone, 8% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Most jobs in Newton are in services
45,891 jobs are based in Newton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Newton, 2013 → 2023: 48,770 → 45,891. 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 Newton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
35% of working residents work in Boston
Where Newton clocks in
35% of workers
9% of workers
5% 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.
Newton is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Newton is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #17 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Newton 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 45,931 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 96% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 37% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 14.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 96% 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 Newton households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 11% of Newton’s commuters take a bus or train.
17th of 491: where Newton ranks among U.S. towns of 64,000 to 123,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Westfield IN | 66,258 | $123K | 3.6% | 2.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 16 | Ankeny IA | 77,833 | $108K | 4.2% | 1.9% | 22% | A+ |
| 17 | Newton MA | 90,741 | $190K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 12% | A+ |
| 18 | Maple Grove MN | 73,893 | $133K | 4.0% | 3.5% | 13% | A+ |
| 19 | Wheatland Township IL | 92,693 | $173K | 3.2% | 4.0% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Somerville MA | 84,211 | $133K | 9.8% | 3.0% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 101 | Waltham MA | 65,037 | $120K | 9.4% | 3.7% | 19% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 118 | Cambridge MA | 122,588 | $131K | 12.8% | 3.4% | 32% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 491 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Newton, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
48% of Newton works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Boston (35%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Newton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton | – | A+ | A+ | 27 min | $190,304 |
| Needham | 2% | A | A+ | 28 min | $214,308 |
| Wellesley | 2% | A | A+ | 27 min | $250,000+ |
| Weston | under 2% | A+ | A− | 27 min | $250,000+ |
| Watertown | 2% | A− | A+ | 28 min | $126,265 |
| Boston | 35% | B | A+ | 30 min | $97,344 |
| Brookline | 2% | A | A+ | 27 min | $142,101 |
| Waltham | 5% | A− | A+ | 25 min | $120,216 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Newton’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 Newton: questions
What is the median household income in Newton?
$190,304 (±$8,593) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Newton?
4.5%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Newton?
27 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Newton work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (35%, 10 mi), Cambridge (9%, 6 mi), Waltham (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Newton walkable?
Newton is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.4 out of 20, and 20% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Newton without a car?
11% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 37% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Newton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Newton
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.