Photo: Lenier81 · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Ridgefield top those of 87% of U.S. towns
Only 7% work in Ridgefield; the top destination outside it is New York City (26%, 12 miles). Poverty touches 5.1% of residents, next to 9.7% for New Jersey as a whole. The two grades for Ridgefield are A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Ridgefield, in a few figures
Ridgefield trades workers with the towns around it
Ridgefield has about as many jobs (4,613) as working residents (5,055), but they are mostly different people: 4,722 residents leave for work each day while 4,280 people come in. Only 7% of the jobs in Ridgefield are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Ridgefield workers cross into New York
19% of Ridgefield workers work outside New Jersey, most of them in New York, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Many of the people who work in Ridgefield live in another state
13% of the jobs in Ridgefield are held by people who live in New York City, NY, one of the top places its workers come from. The commute map ↓
Ridgefield and New York City trade workers both ways
New York City is the top workplace for Ridgefield residents (26%) and also where the most people who work in Ridgefield come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
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 Ridgefield
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Ridgefield is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #182 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds Ridgefield’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Ridgefield could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Ridgefield by day and by night
On a workday 4,722 residents head out to work, 333 work right here, and 4,280 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.91 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.
The towns that employ Ridgefield’s residents
Where Ridgefield clocks in
26% of workers
3% of workers
3% 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.
30% of the jobs in Ridgefield make or build things
4,613 jobs are based in Ridgefield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ridgefield, 2013 → 2023: 4,370 → 4,613. 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 Ridgefield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 32 minutes in Ridgefield
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ridgefield workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,267 commuters (the 14% 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 far it is to work from Ridgefield
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.
Ridgefield is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Ridgefield is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #21 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Ridgefield 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 6,144 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, 87% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 16.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 97% 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). 5.2% of Ridgefield households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 18% of Ridgefield’s commuters take a bus or train.
626th of 2,695: where Ridgefield ranks among U.S. towns of 8,000 to 16,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Waldwick NJ | 10,252 | $178K | 1.4% | 2.2% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Fanwood NJ | 8,035 | $196K | 1.0% | 2.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 23 | Oradell NJ | 8,293 | $221K | 3.6% | 2.3% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 624 | Cumru Township PA | 15,927 | $91K | 7.0% | 2.3% | 7% | A |
| 625 | Lake Villa IL | 8,692 | $119K | 3.2% | 4.9% | 3% | A |
| 626 | Ridgefield NJ | 11,547 | $118K | 5.1% | 5.6% | 7% | A |
| 627 | Little Falls Township NJ | 15,340 | $123K | 3.0% | 7.2% | 5% | A |
| 628 | Nibley UT | 8,975 | $108K | 1.0% | 3.4% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,695 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | 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 Ridgefield, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
How Ridgefield compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to North Bergen Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ridgefield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgefield | – | A | A+ | 32 min | $118,059 |
| North Bergen Township | 2% | B | A+ | 33 min | $78,911 |
| Fairview | under 2% | C | A+ | 31 min | $63,606 |
| Ridgefield Park | under 2% | B | A+ | 27 min | $100,718 |
| Little Ferry | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 29 min | $85,750 |
| Carlstadt | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $115,444 |
| Cliffside Park | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 36 min | $93,452 |
| Palisades Park | 2% | B+ | A+ | 31 min | $94,743 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ridgefield’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 Ridgefield: questions
What is the median household income in Ridgefield?
$118,059 (±$15,801) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ridgefield?
5.1%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ridgefield?
32 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 Ridgefield work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (26%, 12 mi), Jersey City (3%, 8 mi), Hackensack (3%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Ridgefield walkable?
Ridgefield is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.5 out of 20, and 19% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ridgefield without a car?
18% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 87% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ridgefield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ridgefield
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.