Photo: EvanSheppard · CC BY 4.0Households in Allendale earn more than those in 96% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 43.7 in Jersey City. The poverty rate is 3.7%, next to 9.7% for New Jersey as a whole. Jobs and income earn Allendale A+; getting around on foot earns it A+.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Allendale
Allendale trades workers with the towns around it
Allendale has about as many jobs (3,380) as working residents (3,094), but they are mostly different people: 2,888 residents leave for work each day while 3,174 people come in. Only 6% of the jobs in Allendale are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Allendale works from home
35% of Allendale workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
A lot of Allendale workers cross into New York
20% of Allendale workers work outside New Jersey, most of them in New York, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Allendale’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Allendale is New York City, NY, 28 miles away as the crow flies. 16% of working residents (499) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Allendale workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 31 across New Jersey. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (27 to 33 minutes). Time on the road ↓
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.
Inside Allendale’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Allendale is better than 95% of U.S. towns, #62 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car is its strongest input (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.1%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Allendale could be anywhere from A− to A+.
In and out of Allendale on a workday
On a workday 2,888 residents head out to work, 206 work right here, and 3,174 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 (1.09 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.
Getting to work from Allendale takes about 36 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Allendale workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,888 commuters (the 35% who work from home are left out). Across New Jersey: 75% drive alone, 10% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
16% of working residents work in New York City
Where Allendale clocks in
16% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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 distance from Allendale 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.
72% of the jobs in Allendale pay over $3,333 a month
3,380 jobs are based in Allendale.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Allendale, 2013 → 2023: 3,373 → 3,380. 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 Allendale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Allendale 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, Allendale is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #115 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Allendale 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 2,894 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 72% 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). 4.7% of Allendale households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 16% of Allendale’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Allendale ranks: 207th of 3,164 U.S. towns of 5,000 to 9,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 4 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Hainesport Township NJ | 6,197 | $143K | 2.1% | 0.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Old Tappan NJ | 6,686 | $205K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 205 | Snyderville UT | 5,948 | $144K | 4.6% | 1.3% | 12% | A+ |
| 206 | Asbury IA | 6,035 | $125K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 2% | A+ |
| 207 | Allendale NJ | 7,116 | $160K | 3.7% | 4.1% | 7% | A+ |
| 208 | Gleneagle CO | 6,440 | $140K | 4.0% | 1.6% | 2% | A+ |
| 209 | Wollochet WA | 6,689 | $149K | 1.5% | 3.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,164 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Allendale, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Next door to Allendale
The biggest share goes to Ramsey (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Allendale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allendale | – | A+ | A+ | 36 min | $160,162 |
| Mahwah Township | 2% | A | A | 28 min | $131,327 |
| Ramsey | 3% | A+ | A | 32 min | $160,996 |
| Saddle River | under 2% | A | C | 27 min | $212,143 |
| Waldwick | 2% | A+ | A+ | 27 min | $177,962 |
| Wyckoff Township | under 2% | A | A | 33 min | $203,988 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Allendale’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 Allendale: questions
What is the median household income in Allendale?
$160,162 (±$32,952) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Allendale?
3.7%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Allendale?
36 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 35% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Allendale work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (16%, 28 mi), Paramus (4%, 7 mi), Ramsey (3%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Allendale walkable?
Allendale is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.2 out of 20, and 17% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Allendale without a car?
16% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Allendale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Allendale
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.