Photo: Pvmoutside at English Wikipedia · Public domainHouseholds in Northbridge have higher incomes than those in 84% of U.S. towns
About one in ten work in Northbridge; the top destination outside it is Worcester (10%, 12 miles). 7.9% of residents live below the poverty line (Massachusetts 10.0%). Jobs and income earn Northbridge B+; getting around on foot earns it B−.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Northbridge
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Northbridge is better than 70% of U.S. towns, #194 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income holds Northbridge’s grade up ($111,319, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (6.1%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Northbridge could be anywhere from B− to A.
The workday shuffle in and out of Northbridge
On a workday 6,979 residents head out to work, 898 work right here, and 4,361 people come in from elsewhere.
About 14,000 people are in Northbridge on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.67 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Northbridge’s residents
Where Northbridge clocks in
10% of workers
5% 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.
What Northbridge’s employers do
5,259 jobs are based in Northbridge.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Northbridge, 2013 → 2023: 4,660 → 5,259. 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 Northbridge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Northbridge: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Northbridge workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,371 commuters (the 16% 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.
How far it is to work from Northbridge
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.
Most trips from Northbridge start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Northbridge is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns, #230 of 283 in Massachusetts. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 14.1% across Massachusetts.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 8,795 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 41% 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 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 59% 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). 2.9% of Northbridge households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Northbridge’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,999 U.S. towns of 12,000 to 23,000, Northbridge comes 901st on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Westwood MA | 16,426 | $223K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Hopkinton MA | 19,866 | $223K | 2.5% | 2.3% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 73 | Sharon MA | 18,798 | $192K | 3.8% | 3.0% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 899 | Robinson TX | 13,028 | $99K | 3.7% | 6.6% | 5% | B+ |
| 900 | Maitland FL | 19,511 | $97K | 10.4% | 4.8% | 10% | B+ |
| 901 | Northbridge MA | 16,799 | $111K | 7.9% | 6.1% | 11% | B+ |
| 902 | Winter Gardens CA | 22,131 | $98K | 9.3% | 5.2% | 3% | B+ |
| 903 | Palmer Town MA | 12,367 | $78K | 8.3% | 2.9% | 14% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,999 | 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 Northbridge, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
The towns around Northbridge
The biggest share goes to Uxbridge (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Northbridge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northbridge | – | B+ | B− | 31 min | $111,319 |
| Upton | under 3% | A− | C | 35 min | $155,508 |
| Sutton | 2% | A | C | 30 min | $147,125 |
| Uxbridge | 3% | A | C+ | 37 min | $124,725 |
| Grafton | under 3% | A | B | 33 min | $131,484 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Northbridge’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 Northbridge: questions
What is the median household income in Northbridge?
$111,319 (±$18,543) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Northbridge?
7.9%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Northbridge?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Northbridge work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Worcester (10%, 12 mi), Boston (5%, 36 mi), Milford (5%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Northbridge walkable?
Northbridge is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.2 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Northbridge without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Northbridge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Northbridge
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.