Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0Park Ridge’s household incomes are higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
1.5% of residents are in poverty; New Jersey has 9.7%. Park Ridge grades A+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 0.7 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 43.7 in Jersey City.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Park Ridge and work: the main findings
Park Ridge’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Park Ridge is New York City, NY, 26 miles away as the crow flies. 17% of working residents (812) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Park Ridge than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Park Ridge fell from 3,518 in 2014 to 2,620 in 2024, −26%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Why Park Ridge gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Park Ridge is among the top U.S. towns, #13 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Park Ridge could be anywhere from A to A+.
How far it is to work from Park Ridge
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
70% of the jobs in Park Ridge pay over $3,333 a month
2,620 jobs are based in Park Ridge.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Park Ridge, 2014 → 2024: 3,518 → 2,620. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Park Ridge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Park Ridge quiets down on a workday
On a workday 4,426 residents head out to work, 268 work right here, and 2,352 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,500 people are in Park Ridge on a workday afternoon, 22% fewer than live here.
0.56 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 2024, primary jobs.
17% of working residents work in New York City
Where Park Ridge clocks in
17% of workers
5% 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 27 minutes each way for Park Ridge’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Park Ridge workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,843 commuters (the 24% 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.
Park Ridge 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, Park Ridge is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #169 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Park Ridge 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 5,031 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 42% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 21% 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). 8.1% of Park Ridge households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Park Ridge’s commuters take a bus or train.
Park Ridge places 51st of 2,790 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 6,700 to 12,900
| # | 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% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Fanwood NJ | 8,035 | $196K | 1.0% | 2.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 23 | Oradell NJ | 8,293 | $221K | 3.6% | 2.3% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Bethel Township PA | 9,774 | $177K | 1.8% | 2.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 50 | Dry Run OH | 7,687 | $201K | 1.4% | 1.7% | 1% | A+ |
| 51 | Park Ridge NJ | 9,571 | $171K | 1.5% | 3.2% | 6% | A+ |
| 52 | Genesee WI | 7,235 | $119K | 3.3% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| 53 | East Greenwich Township NJ | 12,610 | $149K | 2.0% | 2.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,790 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 6% | 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 Park Ridge, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
The towns around Park Ridge
The biggest share goes to Montvale (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Park Ridge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Ridge | – | A+ | A | 27 min | $171,029 |
| Woodcliff Lake | 2% | A | A | 33 min | $213,981 |
| River Vale Township | under 2% | A+ | A | 39 min | $213,666 |
| Montvale | 4% | A | A | 32 min | $178,269 |
| Hillsdale | under 2% | A+ | A | 28 min | $186,688 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Park 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 2024, 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 Park Ridge: questions
What is the median household income in Park Ridge?
$171,029 (±$21,993) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Park Ridge?
1.5%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Park Ridge?
27 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 24% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Park Ridge work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (17%, 26 mi), Paramus (5%, 6 mi), Montvale (4%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Park Ridge walkable?
Park Ridge is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.9 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Park Ridge without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 21% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Park Ridge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Park Ridge
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.