Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 4.0Cranford Township’s household incomes are higher than in 96% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.8 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 43.7 in Jersey City. 2.5% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.7% across New Jersey. The two grades for Cranford Township are A+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Cranford Township, in brief
Cranford Township trades workers with the towns around it
Cranford Township has about as many jobs (11,677) as working residents (11,809), but they are mostly different people: 10,838 residents leave for work each day while 10,706 people come in. Only 8% of the jobs in Cranford Township are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Cranford Township draws workers from far and wide
The 11,677 jobs in Cranford Township are filled from a wide area. Cranford Township’s own residents hold 8% and the ten next-biggest home towns 27%; the other 65% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
A lot of Cranford Township works from home
27% of Cranford Township workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
Three in four Cranford Township workers earn over $40,000 a year
76% of Cranford Township’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data. 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 figures behind Cranford Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Cranford Township is better than 98% of U.S. towns, #28 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car is its strongest input (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.6%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Cranford Township could be anywhere from A to A+.
Who works in Cranford Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 10,838 residents head out to work, 971 work right here, and 10,706 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.99 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.
14% of working residents work in New York City
Where Cranford Township clocks in
14% of workers
4% of workers
4% 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.
About 35 minutes each way for Cranford Township’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Cranford Township workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,086 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 11,677 jobs based in Cranford Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Cranford Township, 2013 → 2023: 13,065 → 11,677. 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 Cranford Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Cranford Township 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.
Cranford Township is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Cranford Township is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #107 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Cranford Township 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 12,449 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 86% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 16% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 91% 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). 7.1% of Cranford Township households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 15% of Cranford Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Cranford Township next to U.S. towns of 17,000 to 33,000: 43rd of 1,642 on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Scotch Plains Township NJ | 25,437 | $184K | 2.5% | 3.2% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Westfield NJ | 32,595 | $233K | 1.8% | 3.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 41 | Solon OH | 23,679 | $139K | 3.3% | 2.4% | 14% | A+ |
| 42 | Reading MA | 25,803 | $166K | 3.2% | 3.3% | 8% | A+ |
| 43 | Cranford Township NJ | 24,725 | $156K | 2.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| 44 | Kingstowne VA | 18,360 | $152K | 4.4% | 2.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 45 | North Laurel MD | 25,563 | $123K | 4.7% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Ridgewood NJ | 26,527 | $208K | 4.2% | 3.4% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,642 | 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 Cranford Township, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Cranford Township and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Westfield (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Cranford Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranford Township | – | A+ | A+ | 35 min | $155,972 |
| Kenilworth | under 2% | A− | A | 25 min | $118,611 |
| Garwood | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 30 min | $110,670 |
| Westfield | 3% | A+ | A+ | 37 min | $232,629 |
| Linden | under 2% | B | A+ | 32 min | $92,915 |
| Clark Township | under 2% | A+ | A− | 28 min | $133,504 |
| Roselle | under 2% | B | A+ | 33 min | $92,762 |
| Winfield Township | under 2% | B+ | A | 25 min | $64,052 |
| Roselle Park | under 2% | A− | A+ | 26 min | $109,679 |
| Springfield Township | under 2% | A | A | 28 min | $155,906 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Cranford Township’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 Cranford Township: questions
What is the median household income in Cranford Township?
$155,972 (±$15,105) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Cranford Township?
2.5%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Cranford Township?
35 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 Cranford Township work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (14%, 19 mi), Newark (4%, 8 mi), Elizabeth (4%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Cranford Township walkable?
Cranford Township is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.3 out of 20, and 18% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Cranford Township without a car?
15% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 16% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Cranford Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Cranford Township
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.