Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli on Flickr · CC BY 2.0Unemployment in Independence Township (1.4%) is lower than in 91% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 1.6% of residents, next to 9.7% for New Jersey as a whole. For jobs and income Independence Township is better than 92% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns (B+). Only 4% work in Independence Township itself; outside it, Hackettstown draws the most (7%, 3 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Independence Township, in brief
No single place dominates Independence Township’s commute
The biggest draw, Hackettstown, gets only 7% of working residents, and 67% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Independence Township residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
Independence Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 37 minutes each way, against 31 across New Jersey. Over a year that’s about 284 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Independence Township
The poverty rate is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 63% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Independence Township could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Where Independence Township’s working residents head each day
Where Independence Township clocks in
7% of workers
5% 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.
The trip to work from Independence Township: about 37 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Independence Township workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,692 commuters (the 14% 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 daily flow of workers through Independence Township
On a workday 2,328 residents head out to work, 94 work right here, and 830 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,200 people are in Independence Township on a workday afternoon, 26% fewer than live here.
0.38 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.
Inside Independence Township’s 924 jobs
924 jobs are based in Independence Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Independence Township, 2013 → 2023: 755 → 924. 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 Independence Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Independence Township
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.
For most of Independence Township, work means a drive
How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 7.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 13.2% across New Jersey, on an EPA index of 6.2.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,116 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 1.9% of Independence Township households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 7% of Independence Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 4,000 to 7,600, Independence Township ranks 303rd of 3,428 on jobs and income
| # | 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 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 301 | Sadsbury Township PA | 4,741 | $117K | 2.8% | 2.9% | 3% | A |
| 302 | Perry UT | 6,226 | $113K | 2.3% | 1.6% | 5% | A |
| 303 | Independence Township NJ | 5,666 | $92K | 1.6% | 1.4% | 4% | A |
| 304 | Thorn Township OH | 4,848 | $96K | 4.1% | 0.5% | 6% | A |
| 305 | Grafton WI | 4,343 | $87K | 2.9% | 2.1% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,428 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Independence Township, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Work in the towns next to Independence Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Independence Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Township | – | A | B+ | 37 min | $92,243 |
| Hackettstown | 7% | B− | A | 31 min | $93,083 |
| Allamuchy Township | 2% | B | B− | 42 min | $131,626 |
| Panther Valley | under 2% | — | — | 41 min | — |
| Mansfield Township | under 2% | B+ | C+ | 31 min | $88,845 |
| Liberty Township | under 2% | A− | C+ | 37 min | $120,494 |
| Frelinghuysen Township | under 2% | B+ | C | 33 min | $122,727 |
Same-state neighbors only. Panther Valley: 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 Hackettstown. Darker towns draw more of Independence 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 Independence Township: questions
What is the median household income in Independence Township?
$92,243 (±$14,687) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Independence Township?
1.6%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Independence Township?
37 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Independence Township work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hackettstown (7%, 3 mi), Mount Olive Township (5%, 7 mi), Washington Township (3%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Independence Township walkable?
Independence Township is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 6.2 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Independence Township without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Independence Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Independence 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.