Franklin Center draws 25,347 commuters a day, with 8.9 jobs for every working resident
Only 8% stay in Franklin Center for work; outside it, Franklin Township is the main destination (11%, 4 miles). Franklin Center has 25,563 jobs, against 2,879 working residents. 32% of workers have no commute at all, where New Jersey as a whole has 17%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Franklin Center stands out on work
Franklin Center fills up on a workday
Franklin Center has 25,563 jobs, 8.9 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 29,000 people are in town, 4 times the 6,600 who live here. Day and night ↓
No single place dominates Franklin Center’s commute
The biggest draw, New York City, NY, gets only 6% of working residents, and 60% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Franklin Center residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
Home offices are common in Franklin Center
32% of Franklin Center workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
Franklin Center draws workers from far and wide
The 25,563 jobs in Franklin Center are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 28%; the other 71% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Most jobs in Franklin Center pay over $40,000 a year
80% of the jobs based in Franklin Center pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), 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 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How a workday changes Franklin Center
On a workday 2,663 residents head out to work and 216 work right here.
About 29,000 people are in Franklin Center on a workday afternoon, 341% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where the people who work in Franklin Center live
Where Franklin Center clocks in
11% of workers
6% 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 28 minutes each way, quicker than most of New Jersey
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Franklin Center workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,976 commuters (the 32% 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.
80% of the jobs in Franklin Center pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Franklin Center, 2014 → 2024: 18,073 → 25,563. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Franklin Center’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Franklin Center’s workers travel
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Work in the towns next to Franklin Center
The biggest share goes to Bridgewater Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Franklin Center workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Center | – | — | — | 28 min | $157,212 |
| Finderne | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Bridgewater Township | 4% | A | A− | 31 min | $172,851 |
| Zarephath | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Weston | under 2% | — | — | 56 min | — |
| Middlebush | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| East Millstone | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Somerset | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Piscataway Township | 3% | A− | A | 26 min | $127,832 |
| South Bound Brook | under 2% | B | A | 26 min | $112,961 |
Same-state neighbors only. Finderne, Zarephath, Weston, Middlebush, East Millstone and Somerset: 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 Franklin Center’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 2024, 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 Franklin Center: questions
What is the median household income in Franklin Center?
$157,212 (±$42,237) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Franklin Center?
7.3%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Franklin Center?
28 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Franklin Center work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Franklin Township (11%, 4 mi), New York City (6%, 33 mi), Edison Township (4%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Franklin Center without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Franklin Center, from the people who make the trip.
More of Franklin Center
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.