Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0Califon’s household incomes are higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
Jobs & income A: better than 87% of U.S. towns on income, poverty and job access.
Walkability B+: more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns.
Working residents average 31 minutes each way (New Jersey 31, U.S. 26). Only 0% work in Califon; the top destination outside it is Lebanon Township (4%, 3 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Califon
What’s behind Califon’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty and job access, Califon is better than 87% of U.S. towns. Household income is its strongest input ($128,194, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (7.5%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
Unemployment (3.6%) is left out: Califon’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, Califon could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Califon quiets down on a workday
On a workday 470 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 126 people come in from elsewhere.
About 690 people are in Califon on a workday afternoon, 33% 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.
Where Califon goes to work
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Califon clocks in
4% of workers
3% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
What the 128 jobs in Califon are
128 jobs are based in Califon. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Califon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Califon, 2013 → 2023: 243 → 128. 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.
About 31 minutes each way, about the NJ average
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Califon workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 441 commuters (the 20% 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.
Half of Califon commutes less than 21 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Most trips from Califon start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Califon is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.6% 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 549 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 0.0 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). 0.0% of Califon households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Califon’s commuters take a bus or train.
Califon is 164th of 3,133 U.S. towns of 700 to 1,400 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Califon, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 89 | Port Republic NJ | 1,125 | $123K | 1.3% | 9.0% | 0% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 162 | Blue Ridge AL | 1,190 | $128K | 6.2% | 0.0% | 0% | A |
| 163 | Clermont GA | 1,165 | $136K | 4.7% | 3.1% | 2% | A |
| 164 | Califon NJ | 1,034 | $128K | 7.5% | 3.6% | <1% | A |
| 165 | Durham Township PA | 1,086 | $116K | 6.9% | 0.0% | 1% | A |
| 166 | Tri-Lakes IN | 1,025 | $115K | 4.7% | 0.0% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 254 | Ship Bottom NJ | 1,126 | $109K | 3.7% | 2.3% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 264 | Surf City NJ | 1,305 | $119K | 4.5% | 5.3% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,133 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 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.
Califon and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Lebanon Township (4%). Darker towns draw more of Califon’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Califon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Califon | – | A | B+ | 31 min | $128,194 |
| Lebanon Township | 4% | B | B | 30 min | $129,936 |
| Tewksbury Township | under 2% | A+ | B | 41 min | $192,576 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Califon: questions
What is the median household income in Califon?
$128,194 (±$24,523) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Califon?
7.5%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Califon?
31 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Califon work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lebanon Township (4%, 3 mi), Clinton Township (3%, 6 mi), New York City (3%, 47 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Califon walkable?
Califon is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Califon without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Califon, from the people who make the trip.
More of Califon
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.