Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0Unemployment in North Plainfield (8.8%) is higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
Jobs & income B−: better than 52% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #393 of 468 in New Jersey.
Walkability A: more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns · #163 of 468 in New Jersey.
Household incomes here are higher than in 65% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 31 minutes each way (New Jersey 31, U.S. 26). Only 4% work in North Plainfield; the top destination outside it is New York City (6%, 26 miles).
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 7.6 transit trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 43.7 in Jersey City (EPA, 2020 schedules).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in North Plainfield, in brief
No single place dominates North Plainfield’s commute
The biggest draw, New York City, NY, gets only 6% of working residents, and 65% work outside the top ten towns entirely. North Plainfield residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
North Plainfield empties out on a workday
About 16,000 people are in North Plainfield on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than the 23,000 who live here: 9,900 head out to work and 3,000 come in. 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.
What’s behind North Plainfield’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Plainfield is better than 52% of U.S. towns, #393 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds North Plainfield’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (8.8%, 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, North Plainfield could be anywhere from C+ to B+.
6% of working residents work in New York City
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where North Plainfield clocks in
6% 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.
North Plainfield quiets down on a workday
On a workday 9,947 residents head out to work, 400 work right here, and 2,998 people come in from elsewhere.
About 16,000 people are in North Plainfield on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.33 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.
What the 3,398 jobs in North Plainfield are
3,398 jobs are based in North Plainfield. Here is what they are, next to the jobs North Plainfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Plainfield, 2013 → 2023: 2,798 → 3,398. 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.
About 31 minutes each way, about the NJ average
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Plainfield workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,059 commuters (the 9% 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.
Half of North Plainfield commutes less than 11 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
North Plainfield is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Plainfield is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #163 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place North Plainfield 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 12,192 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, 40% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 6.7% of North Plainfield households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of North Plainfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
North Plainfield is 1,119th of 1,712 U.S. towns of 16,000 to 31,000 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of North Plainfield, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Scotch Plains Township NJ | 25,437 | $184K | 2.5% | 3.2% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 46 | Cranford Township NJ | 24,725 | $156K | 2.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Ridgewood NJ | 26,527 | $208K | 4.2% | 3.4% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,117 | Punta Gorda FL | 20,383 | $86K | 8.3% | 5.0% | 13% | B− |
| 1,118 | Tukwila WA | 22,003 | $78K | 13.0% | 6.4% | 7% | B− |
| 1,119 | North Plainfield NJ | 22,879 | $87K | 13.2% | 8.8% | 4% | B− |
| 1,120 | Ladson SC | 16,140 | $79K | 12.3% | 5.3% | 2% | B− |
| 1,121 | Sapulpa OK | 23,695 | $64K | 14.2% | 3.2% | 12% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,712 | 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.
North Plainfield and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Plainfield (2%). Darker towns draw more of North Plainfield’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Plainfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Plainfield | – | B− | A | 31 min | $87,349 |
| Plainfield | 2% | B− | A+ | 30 min | $85,908 |
| Watchung | under 3% | A | A | 34 min | $173,672 |
| Green Brook Township | under 3% | A | A | 30 min | $208,375 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 North Plainfield: questions
What is the median household income in North Plainfield?
$87,349 (±$13,016) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Plainfield?
13.2%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Plainfield?
31 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Plainfield work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (6%, 26 mi), Edison Township (5%, 9 mi), Piscataway Township (3%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Plainfield walkable?
North Plainfield is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.5 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Plainfield without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 40% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Plainfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Plainfield
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.