Photo: Freeholdman12 · CC BY-SA 4.0Allentown’s household incomes are higher than in 88% of U.S. towns
4.4% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.7% across New Jersey. The two grades for Allentown are A+ for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Only 7% work in Allentown itself; outside it, Hamilton Township draws the most (9%, 5 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Allentown in brief
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Allentown
On income, poverty and job access, Allentown is better than 97% of U.S. towns. All three inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Allentown’s grade. It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
Unemployment (3.7%) is left out: Allentown’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Allentown could be anywhere from A to A+.
Most jobs in Allentown are in services
862 jobs are based in Allentown.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Allentown, 2013 → 2023: 563 → 862. 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 Allentown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Allentown
On a workday 926 residents head out to work, 73 work right here, and 789 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 (0.86 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.
Commuting out of Allentown: the destinations
Where Allentown clocks in
9% of workers
7% 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.
Time on the road from Allentown: about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Allentown workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 745 commuters (the 21% 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.
The distance from Allentown 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.
Allentown is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Allentown is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Allentown 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 943 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). 4.0% of Allentown households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Allentown’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 6,085 U.S. towns of 1,200 to 2,400, Allentown comes 114th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | Alpine NJ | 1,759 | $247K | 6.2% | 6.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 72 | Sea Girt NJ | 1,874 | $214K | 3.3% | 4.5% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 83 | Oldmans Township NJ | 1,954 | $113K | 3.2% | 11.1% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 112 | Monroe North WA | 1,456 | $170K | 0.8% | 3.7% | <1% | A+ |
| 113 | Cathcart WA | 2,064 | $130K | 3.2% | 1.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 114 | Allentown NJ | 1,741 | $121K | 4.4% | 3.7% | 7% | A+ |
| 115 | East Nantmeal Township PA | 1,858 | $159K | 2.9% | 1.5% | 7% | A+ |
| 116 | Warren WI | 1,830 | $154K | 2.6% | 1.9% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6,085 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 Allentown, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Around Allentown: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Robbinsville Township (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Allentown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown | – | A+ | A− | 30 min | $120,714 |
| Upper Freehold Township | under 3% | A | B | 32 min | $183,750 |
| Robbinsville Township | 5% | A | A | 36 min | $169,450 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Allentown’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 Allentown: questions
What is the median household income in Allentown?
$120,714 (±$17,430) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Allentown?
4.4%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Allentown?
30 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Allentown work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hamilton Township (9%, 5 mi), New York City (7%, 48 mi), Robbinsville Township (5%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Allentown walkable?
Allentown is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.0 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Allentown without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Allentown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Allentown
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.