Photo: Freeholdman12 · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Plainsboro Township top those of 92% of U.S. towns
The poverty rate is 4.2%, where New Jersey as a whole has 9.7%. For jobs and income Plainsboro Township is better than 92% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (A). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 43.7 in Jersey City.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Plainsboro Township
Home offices are common in Plainsboro Township
36% of Plainsboro Township workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
80% of Plainsboro Township’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, and so do 85% of the jobs based in Plainsboro Township. The jobs ↓
Plainsboro Township’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Plainsboro Township is New York City, NY, 41 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (977) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Plainsboro Township draws workers from far and wide
The 18,743 jobs in Plainsboro Township are filled from a wide area. Plainsboro Township’s own residents hold 6% and the ten next-biggest home towns 26%; the other 68% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Plainsboro Township is where the jobs are
Plainsboro Township has 18,743 jobs, 1.6 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
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.
How Plainsboro Township earns its Jobs & income grade
Household income is its strongest input ($131,638, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.0%, 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, Plainsboro Township could be anywhere from A− to A+.
About 33 minutes each way for Plainsboro Township’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Plainsboro Township workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,120 commuters (the 36% 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.
In Plainsboro Township, services account for most jobs
18,743 jobs are based in Plainsboro Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Plainsboro Township, 2014 → 2024: 14,804 → 18,743. 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 Plainsboro Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Plainsboro Township’s workers travel
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.
Commuting in to Plainsboro Township: where workers come from
Where Plainsboro Township clocks in
9% of workers
6% 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.
The daily commute in and out of Plainsboro Township
On a workday 10,349 residents head out to work, 1,067 work right here, and 17,676 people come in from elsewhere.
About 32,000 people are in Plainsboro Township on a workday afternoon, 30% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Plainsboro Township
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 12,686 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 92% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 19% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 63% 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). 6.3% of Plainsboro Township households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 8% of Plainsboro Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,642 U.S. towns of 17,000 to 33,000, Plainsboro Township comes 221st on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Westfield NJ | 32,595 | $233K | 1.8% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 43 | Cranford Township NJ | 24,725 | $156K | 2.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 219 | Plum PA | 26,225 | $99K | 3.6% | 2.8% | 9% | A |
| 220 | Spring Township PA | 28,873 | $95K | 5.1% | 2.0% | 10% | A |
| 221 | Plainsboro Township NJ | 24,349 | $132K | 4.2% | 4.0% | 9% | A |
| 222 | Stanford CA | 18,662 | $75K | 15.9% | 8.1% | 18% | A |
| 223 | Lutz FL | 27,106 | $120K | 6.1% | 2.6% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,642 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 35% | 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 Plainsboro Township, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
15% of Plainsboro Township works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Princeton (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Plainsboro Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plainsboro Township | – | A | A | 33 min | $131,638 |
| West Windsor Township | 5% | A | A | 39 min | $197,190 |
| Princeton Junction | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| East Windsor Township | under 2% | A− | B+ | 27 min | $105,208 |
| South Brunswick Township | 4% | A | A− | 34 min | $150,933 |
| Cranbury Township | under 2% | A | A− | 33 min | $216,691 |
| Monmouth Junction | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Princeton | 6% | A | A+ | 24 min | $192,079 |
Same-state neighbors only. Princeton Junction and Monmouth Junction: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Plainsboro Township’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 Plainsboro Township: questions
What is the median household income in Plainsboro Township?
$131,638 (±$11,517) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Plainsboro Township?
4.2%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Plainsboro Township?
33 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 36% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Plainsboro Township work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (9%, 40 mi), Princeton (6%, 5 mi), West Windsor Township (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Plainsboro Township walkable?
Plainsboro Township is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.6 out of 20, and 9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Plainsboro Township without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 19% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Plainsboro Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Plainsboro Township
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.