Eckerson House · Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Montvale are higher than in 98% of U.S. towns
4.0% of residents are in poverty, where New Jersey as a whole has 9.7%. For jobs and income Montvale is better than 89% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (A). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.7 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
The commute and the jobs: Montvale in brief
Montvale is where the jobs are
Montvale has 10,238 jobs, 2.6 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 16,000 people are in town, 62% more than the 10,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Montvale draws workers from far and wide
The 10,238 jobs in Montvale are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 20%; the other 77% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
A lot of Montvale workers cross into New York
25% of Montvale workers work outside New Jersey, most of them in New York, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Home offices are common in Montvale
31% of Montvale workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
Montvale’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Montvale is New York City, NY, 28 miles away as the crow flies. 20% of working residents (791) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
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.
The four measures behind Montvale’s grade
Job access by car holds Montvale’s grade up; unemployment pulls it down (5.9%, 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, Montvale could be anywhere from A− to A+.
The daily commute in and out of Montvale
On a workday 3,658 residents head out to work, 357 work right here, and 9,881 people come in from elsewhere.
About 16,000 people are in Montvale on a workday afternoon, 62% more than live here.
2.5 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
The daily trip into Montvale
Where Montvale clocks in
20% of workers
5% of workers
2% 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 daily trip from Montvale: about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Montvale workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,778 commuters (the 31% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Montvale
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.
76% of the jobs in Montvale pay over $3,333 a month
10,238 jobs are based in Montvale.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Montvale, 2013 → 2023: 10,013 → 10,238. 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 Montvale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Montvale is easy on foot, hard by bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,032 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 36% 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 0.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 54% 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). 1.0% of Montvale households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 8% of Montvale’s commuters take a bus or train.
471st of 2,878: where Montvale ranks among 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 469 | Easttown Township PA | 11,090 | $215K | 7.2% | 4.0% | 4% | A |
| 470 | Brock Hall MD | 13,615 | $206K | 2.7% | 6.0% | 2% | A |
| 471 | Montvale NJ | 10,113 | $178K | 4.0% | 5.9% | 9% | A |
| 472 | Brookhaven PA | 8,362 | $91K | 4.1% | 3.5% | 3% | A |
| 473 | South Hanover Township PA | 7,372 | $118K | 6.4% | 2.8% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 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 Montvale, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Work in the towns next to Montvale
The biggest share goes to Park Ridge (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Montvale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montvale | – | A | A | 32 min | $178,269 |
| River Vale Township | under 2% | A+ | A | 39 min | $213,666 |
| Upper Saddle River | under 2% | A | A | 37 min | $250,000+ |
| Park Ridge | 2% | A+ | A | 27 min | $171,029 |
| Woodcliff Lake | 1% | A | A | 33 min | $213,981 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Montvale’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 Montvale: questions
What is the median household income in Montvale?
$178,269 (±$20,952) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Montvale?
4.0%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Montvale?
32 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 31% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Montvale work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (20%, 28 mi), Paramus (5%, 8 mi), Hackensack (2%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Montvale walkable?
Montvale is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.1 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Montvale without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Montvale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Montvale
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.