How Cologne works: jobs, income and commuting
Only 3% stay in Cologne for work; outside it, Atlantic City is the main destination (18%, 12 miles). The average commute takes 17 minutes each way (New Jersey 31, U.S. 26). Employers in Cologne report 869 jobs for 582 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Cologne: the figures worth knowing
Commutes from Cologne are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 31 across New Jersey. That’s about 107 hours a year less on the road than the typical New Jersey worker. Time on the road ↓
Cologne makes and builds things
52% of the jobs based in Cologne are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Cologne residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 10%. The jobs ↓
Cologne has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Cologne went from 542 in 2013 to 869 in 2023, +60%. 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; with 582 working residents, small shifts move the shares; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
About 17 minutes each way for Cologne’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Cologne workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 468 commuters (the 17% 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.
Cologne works in goods: 52% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Cologne, 2013 → 2023: 542 → 869. 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 Cologne’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who works in Cologne, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 566 residents head out to work, 16 work right here, and 853 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,400 people are in Cologne on a workday afternoon, 27% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.49 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.
Where Cologne goes to work
Where Cologne clocks in
18% of workers
10% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Cologne
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.
Cologne and its neighbors
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Cologne workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cologne | – | — | — | 17 min | $128,036 |
| Germania | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Germania: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Cologne’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 Cologne: questions
What is the median household income in Cologne?
$128,036 (±$46,460) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Cologne?
5.1%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Cologne?
17 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 Cologne work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Atlantic City (18%, 12 mi), Galloway Township (18%, 7 mi), Egg Harbor Township (10%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Cologne without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Cologne, from the people who make the trip.
More of Cologne
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.