Most of Oak Ridge commutes out: there are 0.4 jobs for every working resident
Working residents average 42 minutes each way, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. Employers in Oak Ridge report 2,067 jobs, against 5,611 working residents. Only 6% stay in Oak Ridge for work; outside it, Jefferson Township is the main destination (9%, 2 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Oak Ridge in brief
No single place dominates Oak Ridge’s commute
The biggest draw, New York City, NY, gets only 5% of working residents, and 66% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Oak Ridge residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
Oak Ridge workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 42 minutes each way, against 31 across New Jersey. Over a year that’s about 322 hours of commuting, 84 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Oak Ridge empties out on a workday
About 7,400 people are in Oak Ridge on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than the 11,000 who live here: 5,300 head out to work and 1,700 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.
Where Oak Ridge’s working residents head each day
Where Oak Ridge clocks in
9% of workers
5% of workers
4% 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 42 minutes each way, longer than most of New Jersey
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Oak Ridge workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,972 commuters (the 13% 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 Oak Ridge by day
On a workday 5,275 residents head out to work, 336 work right here, and 1,731 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,400 people are in Oak Ridge on a workday afternoon, 32% 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 Oak Ridge
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Oak Ridge, 2013 → 2023: 1,664 → 2,067. 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 Oak Ridge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Oak Ridge’s workers travel
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.
Oak Ridge and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to West Milford Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Oak Ridge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Ridge | – | — | — | 42 min | $121,875 |
| West Milford Township | 3% | A− | B | 40 min | $132,114 |
| Newfoundland | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Rockaway Township | 2% | A | B+ | 30 min | $141,868 |
Same-state neighbors only. Newfoundland: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Oak Ridge’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 Oak Ridge: questions
What is the median household income in Oak Ridge?
$121,875 (±$15,369) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Oak Ridge?
5.8%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Oak Ridge?
42 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 Oak Ridge work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Jefferson Township (9%, 2 mi), New York City (5%, 39 mi), Parsippany-Troy Hills Township (4%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Oak Ridge without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Oak Ridge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Oak Ridge
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.