With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Colonia works elsewhere
There are 1,771 jobs in Colonia; 9,545 of its residents have a job. Only 3% stay in Colonia for work; outside it, Woodbridge Township is the main destination (12%, 2 miles). The trip to work takes 33 minutes on average (New Jersey 31, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Colonia and work: the main findings
The better-paid jobs are outside Colonia
69% of Colonia residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 37% of the jobs based in Colonia pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Colonia is a place people come home to
There are 1,771 jobs based in Colonia, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Colonia has about 11,000 people in it, 42% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Many jobs in Colonia pay little
27% of the jobs based in Colonia pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. 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.
The kinds of work in Colonia
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Colonia, 2013 → 2023: 1,355 → 1,771. 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 Colonia’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Colonia
On a workday 9,303 residents head out to work, 242 work right here, and 1,529 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in Colonia on a workday afternoon, 42% 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.
Commuting out of Colonia: the destinations
Where Colonia clocks in
12% of workers
8% of workers
7% 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.
Each way, about 33 minutes from Colonia
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Colonia workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,838 commuters (the 15% 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 Colonia
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.
The towns around Colonia
The biggest share goes to Edison Township (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Colonia workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonia | – | — | — | 33 min | $122,713 |
| Iselin | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Rahway | 2% | B | A+ | 32 min | $91,461 |
| Avenel | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Edison Township | 7% | A− | A+ | 34 min | $125,145 |
Same-state neighbors only. Iselin and Avenel: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Colonia’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 Colonia: questions
What is the median household income in Colonia?
$122,713 (±$21,938) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Colonia?
7.4%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Colonia?
33 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Colonia work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Woodbridge Township (12%, 2 mi), New York City (8%, 20 mi), Edison Township (7%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Colonia without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Colonia, from the people who make the trip.
More of Colonia
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.