Photo: Ddogas · Public domainHousehold incomes in Bethlehem Township are higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
3.8% of residents live below the poverty line, where New Jersey as a whole has 9.7%. Jobs and income earn Bethlehem Township A+; getting around on foot earns it C. Only 2% work in Bethlehem Township itself; outside it, Raritan Township draws the most (4%, 10 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Bethlehem Township
How Bethlehem Township earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bethlehem Township is better than 97% of U.S. towns, #43 of 468 in New Jersey. Unemployment is its strongest input (1.0%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 66% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bethlehem Township could be anywhere from A to A+.
The workday shuffle in and out of Bethlehem Township
On a workday 1,809 residents head out to work, 46 work right here, and 494 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,500 people are in Bethlehem Township on a workday afternoon, 35% fewer than live here.
0.29 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.
Where Bethlehem Township goes to work
Where Bethlehem Township clocks in
4% 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 540 jobs based in Bethlehem Township
540 jobs are based in Bethlehem Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bethlehem Township, 2013 → 2023: 547 → 540. 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 Bethlehem Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Bethlehem Township: about 35 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bethlehem Township workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,750 commuters (the 18% 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.
Miles to work from Bethlehem Township
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.
The commute in Bethlehem Township is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Bethlehem Township is more walkable than 27% of U.S. towns, #454 of 468 in New Jersey. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 13.2% across New Jersey.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,122 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). 1.6% of Bethlehem Township households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Bethlehem Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,430 U.S. towns of 2,600 to 5,100, Bethlehem Township comes 149th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 4 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Mountain Lakes NJ | 4,649 | $250K | 1.3% | 2.4% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Harding Township NJ | 3,949 | $222K | 3.3% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 147 | Raymond WI | 4,006 | $109K | 5.0% | 1.1% | 6% | A+ |
| 148 | Medford Lakes NJ | 4,403 | $141K | 1.1% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| 149 | Bethlehem Township NJ | 3,774 | $142K | 3.8% | 1.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 150 | Franklin Township MN | 2,939 | $112K | 4.4% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 151 | Hammond WI | 2,732 | $128K | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,430 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Bethlehem Township, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
How Bethlehem Township compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Union Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bethlehem Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem Township | – | A+ | C | 35 min | $142,434 |
| Franklin Township | under 2% | A | B− | 34 min | $132,697 |
| Asbury | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Alexandria Township | under 2% | B | D | 44 min | $160,354 |
| Holland Township | under 2% | A− | D | 32 min | $136,875 |
| Bloomsbury | under 2% | — | — | 37 min | — |
| Hampton | under 2% | B− | B− | 32 min | $67,222 |
| Lebanon Township | under 2% | B | B | 30 min | $129,936 |
| Glen Gardner | under 2% | B+ | B− | 40 min | $101,974 |
| Union Township | 3% | A− | B+ | 38 min | $137,568 |
| Washington Township | under 2% | — | — | 40 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Asbury: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Bloomsbury: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Washington Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bethlehem Township’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 Bethlehem Township: questions
What is the median household income in Bethlehem Township?
$142,434 (±$23,637) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bethlehem Township?
3.8%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bethlehem Township?
35 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bethlehem Township work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Raritan Township (4%, 10 mi), Readington Township (4%, 14 mi), Bridgewater Township (3%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bethlehem Township walkable?
Bethlehem Township is more walkable than 27% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.4 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bethlehem Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bethlehem Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bethlehem Township
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.