Photo: JackTheVicar · CC BY-SA 3.0Unemployment in Newton (9.9%) is higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
7% of workers have no commute at all, against 17% across New Jersey. For jobs and income Newton is better than 31% of U.S. towns (C); for walkability it is more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns (B). About one in seven stay in Newton for work; outside it, New York City is the main destination (4%, 50 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Newton: the gist
No single place dominates Newton’s commute
The biggest draw, New York City, NY, gets only 4% of working residents, and 64% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Newton residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
Newton has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Newton went from 3,252 in 2013 to 5,707 in 2023, +75%. The jobs ↓
Newton draws workers from far and wide
The 5,707 jobs in Newton are filled from a wide area. Newton’s own residents hold 10% and the ten next-biggest home towns 27%; the other 63% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Newton are quick
The average trip to work takes 26 minutes, against 31 across New Jersey. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical New Jersey worker. Time on the road ↓
Newton gains people on a workday
About 10,000 people are in Newton on a workday afternoon, 20% more than the 8,500 who live here: 5,200 come in to work and 3,500 head out. Day and night ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind Newton’s grade
Job access by car holds Newton’s grade up (ahead of 62% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Newton could be anywhere from C− to B−.
Where Newton goes to work
Where Newton clocks in
4% 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.
Jobs in Newton: what the 5,707 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Newton, 2013 → 2023: 3,252 → 5,707. 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 Newton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 26 minutes each way, quicker than most of New Jersey
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Newton workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,675 commuters (the 7% 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.
How many people are in Newton by day
On a workday 3,459 residents head out to work, 545 work right here, and 5,162 people come in from elsewhere.
About 10,000 people are in Newton on a workday afternoon, 20% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.43 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Newton
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.
Most trips from Newton start in a car
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 13.2% across New Jersey.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,954 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 11.5% of Newton households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Newton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Newton next to U.S. towns of 5,900 to 11,500: 2,298th of 3,015 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 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Hainesport Township NJ | 6,197 | $143K | 2.1% | 0.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Waldwick NJ | 10,252 | $178K | 1.4% | 2.2% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Old Tappan NJ | 6,686 | $205K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,296 | Brookings OR | 6,431 | $75K | 16.9% | 3.3% | 36% | C |
| 2,297 | Cumberland Township PA | 6,066 | $64K | 19.9% | 2.8% | 10% | C |
| 2,298 | Newton NJ | 8,486 | $76K | 15.1% | 9.9% | 14% | C |
| 2,299 | Dickson City PA | 5,976 | $60K | 13.1% | 7.7% | 7% | C |
| 2,300 | Yoakum TX | 5,900 | $47K | 17.7% | 0.0% | 27% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 3,015 | 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 Newton, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
How Newton compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Andover Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Newton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton | – | C | B | 26 min | $76,221 |
| Fredon Township | under 2% | A− | B | 37 min | $142,903 |
| Andover Township | 2% | A | B− | 36 min | $142,225 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Newton’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 Newton: questions
What is the median household income in Newton?
$76,221 (±$10,842) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Newton?
15.1%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Newton?
26 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Newton work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (4%, 50 mi), Sparta Township (4%, 6 mi), Morristown (3%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Newton walkable?
Newton is more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Newton without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Newton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Newton
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.