Photo: User:NHRHS2010 · Public domainHouseholds in Ramsey have higher incomes than those in 96% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.9 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 43.7 in Jersey City. Poverty touches 4.3% of residents, where New Jersey as a whole has 9.7%. Jobs and income earn Ramsey A+; getting around on foot earns it A.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Ramsey in brief
Ramsey draws workers from far and wide
The 9,881 jobs in Ramsey are filled from a wide area. Ramsey’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 25%; the other 68% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Ramsey’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Ramsey is New York City, NY, 30 miles away as the crow flies. 15% of working residents (1,112) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
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.
The figures behind Ramsey’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Ramsey is better than 97% of U.S. towns, #38 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, Ramsey could be anywhere from A to A+.
15% of working residents work in New York City
Where Ramsey clocks in
15% of workers
4% 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.
How far it is to work from Ramsey
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.
How a workday changes Ramsey
On a workday 6,638 residents head out to work, 739 work right here, and 9,142 people come in from elsewhere.
About 17,000 people are in Ramsey on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.34 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.
Jobs in Ramsey: what the 9,881 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ramsey, 2013 → 2023: 9,871 → 9,881. 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 Ramsey’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 32 minutes each way, about the NJ average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ramsey workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,860 commuters (the 23% 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.
Ramsey 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, Ramsey is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #162 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Ramsey 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 7,570 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 57% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 75% 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). 5.7% of Ramsey households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 8% of Ramsey’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Ramsey is 106th of 2,362 U.S. towns of 10,000 to 20,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Waldwick NJ | 10,252 | $178K | 1.4% | 2.2% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Franklin Lakes NJ | 11,180 | $236K | 3.4% | 2.3% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Hanover Township NJ | 15,105 | $157K | 3.2% | 2.6% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 104 | Dranesville VA | 11,828 | $215K | 2.8% | 3.5% | 2% | A+ |
| 105 | Bothell East WA | 14,578 | $199K | 3.6% | 2.8% | 1% | A+ |
| 106 | Ramsey NJ | 14,925 | $161K | 4.3% | 3.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 107 | Brown Township IN | 15,523 | $140K | 2.3% | 2.8% | 3% | A+ |
| 108 | Millstone Township NJ | 10,412 | $218K | 4.1% | 2.4% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,362 | 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.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Ramsey, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Ramsey and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Mahwah Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ramsey workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsey | – | A+ | A | 32 min | $160,996 |
| Mahwah Township | 4% | A | A | 28 min | $131,327 |
| Allendale | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 36 min | $160,162 |
| Upper Saddle River | under 2% | A | A | 37 min | $250,000+ |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ramsey’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 Ramsey: questions
What is the median household income in Ramsey?
$160,996 (±$22,685) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ramsey?
4.3%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ramsey?
32 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ramsey work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (15%, 30 mi), Mahwah Township (4%, 2 mi), Paramus (4%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Ramsey walkable?
Ramsey is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.2 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ramsey without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ramsey, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ramsey
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.