Hess, Harold, Lustron House · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Closter earn more than those in 98% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Closter are A for jobs and income and A for walkability. 8.1% of residents live below the poverty line, where New Jersey as a whole has 9.7%. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.3 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 43.7 in Jersey City.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Closter: the gist
A lot of Closter workers cross into New York
28% of Closter workers work outside New Jersey, most of them in New York, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
A lot of Closter works from home
27% of Closter workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Closter
74% of Closter residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 53% of the jobs based in Closter pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
29% of Closter works in New York City
1,183 working residents, 29%, have their main job in New York City, NY, 22 miles away. That’s 5 times as many as work in Closter itself. 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.
The four measures behind Closter’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Closter is better than 92% of U.S. towns, #95 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car is its strongest input (among the top U.S. towns); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Closter could be anywhere from A− to A+.
29% of working residents work in New York City
Where Closter clocks in
29% of workers
3% of workers
2% 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.
Getting to work from Closter takes about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Closter workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,132 commuters (the 27% 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.
The kinds of work in Closter
3,060 jobs are based in Closter.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Closter, 2013 → 2023: 2,769 → 3,060. 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 Closter’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Closter
On a workday 3,759 residents head out to work, 258 work right here, and 2,802 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,700 people are in Closter on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.76 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 Closter goes to work
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Closter
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Closter is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #168 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Closter 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 4,266 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 46% 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 1.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 61% 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). 2.6% of Closter households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 8% of Closter’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Closter is 325th of 2,893 U.S. towns of 6,100 to 11,700
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 3 | Pimmit Hills VA | 6,589 | $173K | 1.6% | 1.3% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Hainesport Township NJ | 6,197 | $143K | 2.1% | 0.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Waldwick NJ | 10,252 | $178K | 1.4% | 2.2% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Old Tappan NJ | 6,686 | $205K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 323 | Alpine UT | 10,444 | $169K | 7.4% | 2.0% | 7% | A |
| 324 | Perry UT | 6,226 | $113K | 2.3% | 1.6% | 5% | A |
| 325 | Closter NJ | 8,663 | $190K | 8.1% | 3.3% | 6% | A |
| 326 | Van Alstyne TX | 8,012 | $102K | 7.0% | 0.6% | 4% | A |
| 327 | North Caldwell NJ | 6,815 | $208K | 1.7% | 6.0% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,893 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Closter, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Closter and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Closter workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closter | – | A | A | 33 min | $190,469 |
| Harrington Park | under 2% | A | A | 36 min | $180,500 |
| Norwood | under 2% | A+ | A− | 31 min | $178,311 |
| Emerson | under 2% | A | A+ | 31 min | $155,536 |
| Demarest | under 2% | A | A− | 43 min | $208,036 |
| Alpine | under 2% | A+ | B+ | 32 min | $246,944 |
| Haworth | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 35 min | $236,765 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Closter’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 Closter: questions
What is the median household income in Closter?
$190,469 (±$40,179) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Closter?
8.1%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Closter?
33 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 27% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Closter work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (29%, 22 mi), Englewood (3%, 6 mi), Paramus (2%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Closter walkable?
Closter is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.9 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Closter without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Closter, from the people who make the trip.
More of Closter
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.