Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Most of Harrison commutes out: there are 0.5 jobs for every working resident
Only 5% stay in Harrison for work; outside it, New York City is the main destination (31%, 12 miles). 4,110 jobs are based in Harrison, and 8,947 of its residents work somewhere. Harrison grades B+ 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
Where Harrison stands out on work
A lot of Harrison workers cross into New York
29% of Harrison workers work outside New Jersey, most of them in New York, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Harrison workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 41 minutes each way, against 31 across New Jersey. Over a year that’s about 314 hours of commuting, 77 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (33 to 34 minutes). Time on the road ↓
31% of Harrison works in New York City
2,811 working residents, 31%, have their main job in New York City, NY, 13 miles away. That’s 6 times as many as work in Harrison itself. 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 Harrison: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Harrison is better than 67% of U.S. towns, #326 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds Harrison’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Harrison could be anywhere from B− to A−.
The towns that employ Harrison’s residents
Where Harrison clocks in
31% of workers
9% of workers
5% 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 41 minutes each way for Harrison’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Harrison workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,795 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.
A workday in Harrison: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 8,493 residents head out to work, 454 work right here, and 3,656 people come in from elsewhere.
About 17,000 people are in Harrison on a workday afternoon, 22% 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.
The kinds of work in Harrison
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Harrison, 2013 → 2023: 4,293 → 4,110. 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 Harrison’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Harrison commutes
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.
Harrison is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Harrison is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #14 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Harrison 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 12,212 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 47% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 55.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 28.1% of Harrison households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 37% of Harrison’s commuters take a bus or train.
Harrison is 907th of 1,847 U.S. towns of 15,000 to 30,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Wolf Trap VA | 15,858 | $250K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Hanover Township NJ | 15,105 | $157K | 3.2% | 2.6% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Berkeley Heights Township NJ | 15,140 | $205K | 1.9% | 3.3% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Scotch Plains Township NJ | 25,437 | $184K | 2.5% | 3.2% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 905 | Watauga TX | 22,981 | $91K | 11.3% | 5.1% | 2% | B+ |
| 906 | Ocean Springs MS | 18,993 | $80K | 5.5% | 4.2% | 23% | B+ |
| 907 | Harrison NJ | 22,105 | $93K | 11.8% | 5.3% | 5% | B+ |
| 908 | Mandan ND | 25,061 | $72K | 9.8% | 1.5% | 25% | B+ |
| 909 | Fairhope AL | 26,625 | $94K | 8.2% | 3.5% | 21% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,847 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Harrison, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Next door is work for 12% of Harrison
The biggest share goes to Newark (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Harrison workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison | – | B+ | A+ | 41 min | $93,013 |
| Newark | 9% | C− | A+ | 33 min | $52,060 |
| Kearny | 3% | B | A+ | 33 min | $79,154 |
| East Newark | under 2% | C− | A+ | 34 min | $48,646 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Harrison’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 Harrison: questions
What is the median household income in Harrison?
$93,013 (±$12,460) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Harrison?
11.8%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Harrison?
41 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 Harrison work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (31%, 12 mi), Newark (9%, 2 mi), Jersey City (5%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Harrison walkable?
Harrison is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.4 out of 20, and 45% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Harrison without a car?
37% of commuters take transit and 28% of households have no car. 47% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Harrison, from the people who make the trip.
More of Harrison
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.