Photo: Aumecg · CC BY-SA 4.0At 8.2%, unemployment in Hackettstown is higher than in 89% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 43.7 in Jersey City. The two grades for Hackettstown are B− for jobs and income and A for walkability. About one in ten stay in Hackettstown for work; outside it, Mount Olive Township is the main destination (5%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Hackettstown
Hackettstown trades workers with the towns around it
Hackettstown has about as many jobs (5,022) as working residents (4,707), but they are mostly different people: 4,229 residents leave for work each day while 4,544 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Hackettstown are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
No single place dominates Hackettstown’s commute
The biggest draw, Mount Olive Township, gets only 5% of working residents, and 65% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Hackettstown residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
Hackettstown draws workers from far and wide
The 5,022 jobs in Hackettstown are filled from a wide area. Hackettstown’s own residents hold 10% and the ten next-biggest home towns 25%; the other 65% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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.
Jobs & income in Hackettstown: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Hackettstown is better than 51% of U.S. towns, #397 of 468 in New Jersey. Household income holds Hackettstown’s grade up ($93,083, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Hackettstown could be anywhere from C to A−.
A workday in Hackettstown: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 4,229 residents head out to work, 478 work right here, and 4,544 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 (1.07 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 Hackettstown goes to work
Where Hackettstown clocks in
5% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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.
65% of the jobs in Hackettstown pay over $3,333 a month
5,022 jobs are based in Hackettstown.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hackettstown, 2013 → 2023: 5,521 → 5,022. 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 Hackettstown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 31 minutes each way, about the NJ average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hackettstown workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,577 commuters (the 13% 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.
Hackettstown’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Hackettstown
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Hackettstown is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns, #206 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Hackettstown 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 5,255 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 43% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 45% 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). 7.2% of Hackettstown households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Hackettstown’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Hackettstown ranks: 1,671st of 2,878 U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Waldwick NJ | 10,252 | $178K | 1.4% | 2.2% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Fanwood NJ | 8,035 | $196K | 1.0% | 2.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 22 | Oradell NJ | 8,293 | $221K | 3.6% | 2.3% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,669 | Bethalto IL | 9,202 | $65K | 12.3% | 4.0% | 8% | B− |
| 1,670 | Mulvane KS | 7,030 | $74K | 8.5% | 6.0% | 9% | B− |
| 1,671 | Hackettstown NJ | 10,185 | $93K | 9.4% | 8.2% | 10% | B− |
| 1,672 | Johnstown NY | 8,021 | $64K | 8.4% | 3.1% | 22% | B− |
| 1,673 | Manchester VA | 12,445 | $80K | 12.7% | 6.4% | 4% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | 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 Hackettstown, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
The towns next door employ 11% of Hackettstown
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hackettstown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hackettstown | – | B− | A | 31 min | $93,083 |
| Mount Olive Township | 5% | A− | B | 32 min | $117,394 |
| Mansfield Township | 2% | B+ | C+ | 31 min | $88,845 |
| Beattystown | under 2% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Independence Township | under 2% | A | B+ | 37 min | $92,243 |
| Washington Township | 4% | A | C | 35 min | $165,651 |
| Allamuchy Township | under 2% | B | B− | 42 min | $131,626 |
Same-state neighbors only. Beattystown: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Mount Olive Township. Darker towns draw more of Hackettstown’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 Hackettstown: questions
What is the median household income in Hackettstown?
$93,083 (±$16,732) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hackettstown?
9.4%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hackettstown?
31 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hackettstown work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Mount Olive Township (5%, 4 mi), Washington Township (4%, 5 mi), New York City (3%, 48 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Hackettstown walkable?
Hackettstown is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.2 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Hackettstown without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Hackettstown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hackettstown
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.