Photo: Mitchazenia · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Emerson top those of 96% of U.S. towns
3.1% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.7% across New Jersey. The two grades for Emerson are A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 6.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 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 Emerson: the gist
Emerson’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Emerson is New York City, NY, 22 miles away as the crow flies. 19% of working residents (632) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Three in four Emerson workers earn over $40,000 a year
76% of Emerson’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.
Emerson’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Emerson is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #112 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds Emerson’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Emerson could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Miles to work from Emerson
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.
Jobs in Emerson: what the 2,269 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Emerson, 2013 → 2023: 2,096 → 2,269. 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 Emerson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Emerson on a workday afternoon
On a workday 3,266 residents head out to work, 141 work right here, and 2,128 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,200 people are in Emerson on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.67 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
19% of working residents work in New York City
Where Emerson clocks in
19% 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.
A commute of about 31 minutes in Emerson
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Emerson workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,854 commuters (the 20% 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.
In Emerson, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Emerson is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #108 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Emerson 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 3,547 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 82% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 12% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 88% 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). 2.8% of Emerson households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 7% of Emerson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Emerson is 371st among 3,083 U.S. towns of 5,200 to 10,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 4 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Hainesport Township NJ | 6,197 | $143K | 2.1% | 0.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Old Tappan NJ | 6,686 | $205K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 369 | Southwick MA | 9,305 | $120K | 4.0% | 3.1% | 11% | A |
| 370 | Lakemoor IL | 6,449 | $100K | 4.7% | 2.4% | 1% | A |
| 371 | Emerson NJ | 7,371 | $156K | 3.1% | 5.6% | 4% | A |
| 372 | Utica Township IN | 9,258 | $103K | 4.0% | 3.2% | 10% | A |
| 373 | Williston VT | 9,975 | $107K | 4.3% | 1.6% | 17% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,083 | 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 Emerson, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Around Emerson: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Paramus (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Emerson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson | – | A | A+ | 31 min | $155,536 |
| Haworth | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 35 min | $236,765 |
| Westwood | 2% | A+ | A+ | 28 min | $165,781 |
| River Vale Township | under 2% | A+ | A | 39 min | $213,666 |
| Oradell | 2% | A+ | A+ | 32 min | $221,322 |
| Closter | under 2% | A | A | 33 min | $190,469 |
| Harrington Park | under 2% | A | A | 36 min | $180,500 |
| Paramus | 4% | A− | A+ | 31 min | $144,349 |
| Washington Township | under 2% | A+ | A− | 32 min | $180,133 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Emerson’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 Emerson: questions
What is the median household income in Emerson?
$155,536 (±$24,565) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Emerson?
3.1%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Emerson?
31 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Emerson work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (19%, 22 mi), Paramus (4%, 3 mi), Hackensack (4%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Emerson walkable?
Emerson is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.4 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Emerson without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 12% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Emerson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Emerson
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.