Most of Cliffside Park commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
Jobs and income earn Cliffside Park B+; getting around on foot earns it A+. 2,530 jobs are based in Cliffside Park, against 10,601 working residents. Only 5% work in Cliffside Park; the top destination outside it is New York City (32%, 11 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Cliffside Park at work: what stands out
A lot of Cliffside Park workers cross into New York
30% of Cliffside Park workers work outside New Jersey, most of them in New York, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Many of the people who work in Cliffside Park live in another state
16% of the jobs in Cliffside Park are held by people who live in New York City, NY, one of the top places its workers come from. The commute map ↓
Cliffside Park and New York City trade workers both ways
New York City is the top workplace for Cliffside Park residents (32%) and also where the most people who work in Cliffside Park come from (16% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Cliffside Park is a place people come home to
There are 2,530 jobs based in Cliffside Park, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Cliffside Park has about 18,000 people in it, 30% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Cliffside Park
68% of Cliffside Park residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 49% of the jobs based in Cliffside Park 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.
Inside Cliffside Park’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Cliffside Park is better than 74% of U.S. towns, #287 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds Cliffside Park’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (10.8%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Cliffside Park could be anywhere from B to A.
The towns that employ Cliffside Park’s residents
Where Cliffside Park clocks in
32% 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.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Who works in Cliffside Park, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 10,087 residents head out to work, 514 work right here, and 2,016 people come in from elsewhere.
About 18,000 people are in Cliffside Park on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Most jobs in Cliffside Park are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Cliffside Park, 2013 → 2023: 2,320 → 2,530. 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 Cliffside Park’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Cliffside Park takes about 36 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Cliffside Park workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,466 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Cliffside Park
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.
Cliffside Park is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Cliffside Park is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #13 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Cliffside Park 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 12,785 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, 88% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 21.9 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). 13.3% of Cliffside Park households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 25% of Cliffside Park’s commuters take a bus or train.
Cliffside Park places 636th of 1,477 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 19,000 to 36,000
| # | 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 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Scotch Plains Township NJ | 25,437 | $184K | 2.5% | 3.2% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Westfield NJ | 32,595 | $233K | 1.8% | 3.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 41 | Cranford Township NJ | 24,725 | $156K | 2.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 634 | Hyattsville MD | 21,158 | $92K | 11.6% | 3.8% | 3% | B+ |
| 635 | Fair Oaks CA | 32,799 | $117K | 7.2% | 6.1% | 4% | B+ |
| 636 | Cliffside Park NJ | 26,539 | $93K | 10.8% | 4.4% | 5% | B+ |
| 637 | Makakilo HI | 20,735 | $119K | 9.2% | 4.3% | 2% | B+ |
| 638 | Onalaska WI | 20,297 | $86K | 6.0% | 3.4% | 18% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,477 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 Cliffside Park, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
The towns around Cliffside Park
The biggest share goes to Edgewater (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Cliffside Park workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cliffside Park | – | B+ | A+ | 36 min | $93,452 |
| Edgewater | 2% | B+ | A+ | 38 min | $124,050 |
| Fairview | under 2% | C | A+ | 31 min | $63,606 |
| Ridgefield | under 2% | A | A+ | 32 min | $118,059 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Cliffside Park’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 Cliffside Park: questions
What is the median household income in Cliffside Park?
$93,452 (±$13,809) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Cliffside Park?
10.8%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Cliffside Park?
36 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 Cliffside Park work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (32%, 11 mi), Jersey City (3%, 9 mi), Fort Lee (3%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Cliffside Park walkable?
Cliffside Park is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.7 out of 20, and 30% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Cliffside Park without a car?
25% of commuters take transit and 13% of households have no car. 88% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Cliffside Park, from the people who make the trip.
More of Cliffside Park
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.