Photo: DiskFool · Public domainHousehold incomes in Pennington top those of 98% of U.S. towns
4.8% of residents are in poverty (New Jersey 9.7%). Pennington grades A+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.1 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
Where Pennington stands out on work
Nearly all the work in Pennington is services
87% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 1% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
Pennington gains people on a workday
About 3,500 people are in Pennington on a workday afternoon, 20% more than the 2,900 who live here: 1,800 come in to work and 1,300 head out. Day and night ↓
Three in four Pennington workers earn over $40,000 a year
76% of Pennington’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Pennington
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Pennington is better than 97% of U.S. towns, #39 of 468 in New Jersey. Household income is its strongest input ($192,586, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (2.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Pennington could be anywhere from A to A+.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Pennington
1,937 jobs are based in Pennington.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Pennington, 2013 → 2023: 1,895 → 1,937. 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 Pennington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who works in Pennington, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 1,255 residents head out to work, 111 work right here, and 1,826 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,500 people are in Pennington on a workday afternoon, 20% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.42 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.
9% of working residents work in Lawrence Township
Where Pennington clocks in
9% of workers
9% of workers
7% 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.
Time on the road from Pennington: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Pennington workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,118 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.
How many miles Pennington commutes
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.
In Pennington, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Pennington is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns, #131 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Pennington 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 1,473 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, >99% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 59% 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). 4.1% of Pennington households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Pennington’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,882 U.S. towns of 2,000 to 3,900, Pennington comes 132nd on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 33 | Haworth NJ | 3,422 | $237K | 3.7% | 2.5% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 66 | Spring Lake NJ | 2,769 | $216K | 1.0% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 70 | Woodbury Heights NJ | 3,162 | $123K | 4.1% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 130 | Gates Mills OH | 2,236 | $231K | 6.1% | 3.1% | 3% | A+ |
| 131 | Oregon WI | 2,994 | $151K | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 132 | Pennington NJ | 2,889 | $193K | 4.8% | 2.4% | 8% | A+ |
| 133 | Franklin Township NJ | 3,288 | $161K | 1.5% | 2.0% | 5% | A+ |
| 134 | Romoland CA | 2,268 | $107K | 1.4% | 1.3% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,882 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Pennington, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
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 Pennington: questions
What is the median household income in Pennington?
$192,586 (±$25,175) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Pennington?
4.8%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Pennington?
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 Pennington work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lawrence Township (9%, 4 mi), Princeton (9%, 7 mi), New York City (7%, 50 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Pennington walkable?
Pennington is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.4 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Pennington without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. >99% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Pennington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Pennington
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.