Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Squirrel 22~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domainHousehold incomes in Bergenfield are higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
Working from home is the commute for 9% of workers (New Jersey 17%). 7.1% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.7% across New Jersey. The two grades for Bergenfield are A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Bergenfield stands out on work
A lot of Bergenfield workers cross into New York
22% of Bergenfield workers work outside New Jersey, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, New York City (24%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Bergenfield is a place people come home to
There are 3,898 jobs based in Bergenfield, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Bergenfield has about 18,000 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Bergenfield
70% of Bergenfield residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 50% of the jobs based in Bergenfield pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. 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.
The four measures behind Bergenfield’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bergenfield is better than 80% of U.S. towns, #237 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds Bergenfield’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (6.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bergenfield could be anywhere from B+ to A.
24% of working residents work in New York City
Where Bergenfield clocks in
24% of workers
4% of workers
4% 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.
How a workday changes Bergenfield
On a workday 13,524 residents head out to work, 729 work right here, and 3,169 people come in from elsewhere.
About 18,000 people are in Bergenfield on a workday afternoon, 36% fewer than live here.
0.27 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.
Inside Bergenfield’s 3,898 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bergenfield, 2013 → 2023: 3,581 → 3,898. 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 Bergenfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Bergenfield, about 32 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bergenfield workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,103 commuters (the 9% 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.
Where in the region Bergenfield works
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.
Bergenfield is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 14,370 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 95% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 29% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 15.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 97% 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). 6.9% of Bergenfield households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 11% of Bergenfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 20,000 to 39,000, Bergenfield ranks 487th of 1,467 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Scotch Plains Township NJ | 25,437 | $184K | 2.5% | 3.2% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Westfield NJ | 32,595 | $233K | 1.8% | 3.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Cranford Township NJ | 24,725 | $156K | 2.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 485 | Marysville OH | 30,190 | $93K | 6.7% | 3.1% | 18% | A− |
| 486 | McHenry IL | 29,217 | $86K | 4.7% | 3.6% | 13% | A− |
| 487 | Bergenfield NJ | 28,754 | $130K | 7.1% | 6.2% | 5% | A− |
| 488 | Center Township IN | 31,974 | $79K | 5.1% | 3.1% | 22% | A− |
| 489 | Shaler Township PA | 26,833 | $96K | 6.4% | 4.3% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,467 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 Bergenfield, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Next door to Bergenfield
The biggest share goes to Teaneck Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bergenfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergenfield | – | A− | A+ | 32 min | $130,045 |
| New Milford | under 2% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $114,889 |
| Tenafly | 1% | A | A+ | 40 min | $208,200 |
| Teaneck Township | 3% | A | A+ | 34 min | $144,075 |
| Dumont | under 2% | A | A+ | 33 min | $126,071 |
| Cresskill | under 2% | A | A+ | 37 min | $170,376 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bergenfield’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 Bergenfield: questions
What is the median household income in Bergenfield?
$130,045 (±$9,993) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bergenfield?
7.1%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bergenfield?
32 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bergenfield work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (24%, 18 mi), Englewood (4%, 2 mi), Hackensack (4%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bergenfield walkable?
Bergenfield is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.6 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bergenfield without a car?
11% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 29% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bergenfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bergenfield
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.