Photo: JILLIEE · CC BY-SA 4.0River Edge’s household incomes are higher than in 96% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 8.6 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 43.7 in Jersey City. Poverty touches 4.4% of residents; New Jersey has 9.7%. River Edge grades 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
What stands out about work in River Edge
What drives the Jobs & income grade in River Edge
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, River Edge is better than 93% of U.S. towns, #90 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds River Edge’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.7%, 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, River Edge could be anywhere from A− to A+.
26% of working residents work in New York City
Where River Edge clocks in
26% of workers
5% 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.
In and out of River Edge on a workday
On a workday 5,698 residents head out to work, 204 work right here, and 3,603 people come in from elsewhere.
About 10,000 people are in River Edge on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.65 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 2023, primary jobs.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in River Edge
3,807 jobs are based in River Edge.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in River Edge, 2013 → 2023: 3,430 → 3,807. 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 River Edge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
River Edge’s commute takes about 35 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of River Edge workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,883 commuters (the 21% 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 River Edge goes to work
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.
Good to walk, short on transit: River Edge
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, River Edge is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns, #74 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place River Edge 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 6,209 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, 27% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 8.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 92% 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 River Edge households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 15% of River Edge’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, River Edge is 264th among 2,151 U.S. towns of 9,000 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 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Waldwick NJ | 10,252 | $178K | 1.4% | 2.2% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Franklin Lakes NJ | 11,180 | $236K | 3.4% | 2.3% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Hanover Township NJ | 15,105 | $157K | 3.2% | 2.6% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 262 | Scenic Oaks TX | 10,569 | $175K | 7.8% | 2.5% | 2% | A |
| 263 | Danville IN | 13,415 | $97K | 3.5% | 2.1% | 15% | A |
| 264 | River Edge NJ | 12,159 | $159K | 4.4% | 4.7% | 3% | A |
| 265 | Portland CT | 9,449 | $119K | 3.9% | 3.3% | 9% | A |
| 266 | Buck Creek Township IN | 10,674 | $111K | 2.9% | 3.5% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,151 | 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 River Edge, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
The towns next door employ 11% of River Edge
The biggest share goes to Paramus (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | River Edge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Edge | – | A | A+ | 35 min | $159,028 |
| Paramus | 5% | A− | A+ | 31 min | $144,349 |
| New Milford | under 2% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $114,889 |
| Hackensack | 4% | B | A+ | 29 min | $84,277 |
| Oradell | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 32 min | $221,322 |
| Teaneck Township | 2% | A | A+ | 34 min | $144,075 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of River Edge’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 River Edge: questions
What is the median household income in River Edge?
$159,028 (±$20,738) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in River Edge?
4.4%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from River Edge?
35 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in River Edge work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (26%, 19 mi), Paramus (5%, 2 mi), Hackensack (4%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is River Edge walkable?
River Edge is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.6 out of 20, and 15% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around River Edge without a car?
15% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 27% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from River Edge, from the people who make the trip.
More of River Edge
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.