Photo: ajay_suresh · CC BY 2.0Household incomes in Camden trail those of 96% of U.S. towns
Camden grades C− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. 30.2% of residents are in poverty (New Jersey 9.7%). 6% of workers have no commute at all, next to 17% for New Jersey as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Camden: the figures worth knowing
The jobs in Camden pay better than its residents’ jobs
75% of the jobs based in Camden pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 46% of the jobs Camden residents hold. 88% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Camden. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Camden are quick
The average trip to work takes 24 minutes, against 31 across New Jersey. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical New Jersey worker. Time on the road ↓
Camden draws workers from far and wide
The 35,112 jobs in Camden are filled from a wide area. Camden’s own residents hold 12% and the ten next-biggest home towns 33%; the other 55% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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 Camden’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Camden is better than 18% of U.S. towns, #462 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds Camden’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (14.5%, U.S. 5.2%).
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Camden stays C−.
In Camden, services account for most jobs
35,112 jobs are based in Camden.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Camden, 2013 → 2023: 28,327 → 35,112. 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 Camden’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 24 minutes from Camden
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Camden workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 24,535 commuters (the 6% 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.
8% of working residents work in Cherry Hill Township
Where Camden clocks in
8% of workers
6% of workers
6% 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.
Camden fills up on a workday
On a workday 20,989 residents head out to work, 4,174 work right here, and 30,938 people come in from elsewhere.
About 81,000 people are in Camden on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.40 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.
How far it is to work from Camden
About 17% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Camden is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Camden is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #43 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Camden 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 25,966 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, 90% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 18.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 98% 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). 30.8% of Camden households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 12% of Camden’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Camden compares with U.S. towns of 50,000 to 96,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 41 | Wayne Township NJ | 54,819 | $153K | 3.4% | 4.9% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Hoboken NJ | 59,027 | $181K | 7.8% | 3.8% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 100 | East Brunswick Township NJ | 50,678 | $143K | 5.8% | 4.7% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 597 | Madera CA | 69,017 | $64K | 25.6% | 12.6% | 27% | C− |
| 598 | Canton OH | 69,001 | $43K | 27.4% | 7.8% | 22% | C− |
| 599 | Camden NJ | 71,430 | $41K | 30.2% | 14.5% | 17% | C− |
| 600 | Erie PA | 91,838 | $46K | 23.3% | 7.1% | 47% | C− |
| 601 | Harrisburg PA | 50,522 | $48K | 30.5% | 11.4% | 20% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 619 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Camden, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Next door is work for 12% of Camden
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Camden workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | – | C− | A+ | 24 min | $40,546 |
| Pennsauken Township | 6% | B− | A | 26 min | $87,680 |
| Gloucester City | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 23 min | $64,938 |
| Haddon Township | under 2% | A− | A+ | 25 min | $115,298 |
| Woodlynne | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 22 min | $74,808 |
| Collingswood | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 26 min | $90,184 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Pennsauken Township. Darker towns draw more of Camden’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 Camden: questions
What is the median household income in Camden?
$40,546 (±$3,333) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Camden?
30.2%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Camden?
24 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Camden work?
17% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cherry Hill Township (8%, 6 mi), Philadelphia (6%, 5 mi), Pennsauken Township (6%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Camden walkable?
Camden is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.3 out of 20, and 17% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Camden without a car?
12% of commuters take transit and 31% of households have no car. 90% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Camden, from the people who make the trip.
More of Camden
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.