Photo: KLOTZ · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Rumson earn more than in almost any other U.S. town
Poverty touches 3.2% of residents, against 9.7% across New Jersey. Household incomes here are among the highest in the country. The two grades for Rumson 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
The commute and the jobs: Rumson in brief
Rumson workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 45 minutes each way, against 31 across New Jersey. Over a year that’s about 345 hours of commuting, 107 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Home offices are common in Rumson
34% of Rumson workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
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 Rumson
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rumson is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #109 of 468 in New Jersey. Household income holds Rumson’s grade up ($250,000+, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.5%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
The Census reports Rumson’s median household income as $250,000+, the top of its scale; the grade ranks it as tied with the 111 other graded places at that ceiling.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rumson could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Commuting from Rumson: about 45 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 14.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rumson workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,280 commuters (the 34% 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.
The daily commute in and out of Rumson
On a workday 2,700 residents head out to work, 211 work right here, and 1,452 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,900 people are in Rumson on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.57 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.
17% of working residents work in New York City
Where Rumson clocks in
17% of workers
4% 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.
In Rumson, services account for most jobs
1,663 jobs are based in Rumson.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rumson, 2013 → 2023: 1,636 → 1,663. 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 Rumson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Rumson
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 Rumson, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rumson is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #113 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Rumson 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 3,433 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 74% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 38% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 58% 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). 1.5% of Rumson households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 21% of Rumson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 5,000 to 9,700, Rumson ranks 367th of 3,205 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 4 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Hainesport Township NJ | 6,197 | $143K | 2.1% | 0.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Old Tappan NJ | 6,686 | $205K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 365 | Innsbrook VA | 8,578 | $129K | 5.0% | 3.6% | 11% | A |
| 366 | Gilberts IL | 9,082 | $146K | 5.5% | 3.7% | 2% | A |
| 367 | Rumson NJ | 7,157 | $250K | 3.2% | 4.5% | 7% | A |
| 368 | Watchung NJ | 6,583 | $174K | 1.2% | 6.1% | 3% | A |
| 369 | Buxton ME | 8,681 | $100K | 2.3% | 1.4% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,205 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Rumson, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
The towns around Rumson
The biggest share goes to Middletown Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rumson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rumson | – | A | A+ | 45 min | $250,000+ |
| Sea Bright | 2% | B+ | A | 38 min | $143,241 |
| Little Silver | 2% | A+ | A+ | 36 min | $240,853 |
| Middletown Township | 3% | A− | A | 35 min | $141,810 |
| Fair Haven | under 2% | A | A+ | 44 min | $250,000+ |
| Monmouth Beach | under 2% | A | A | 32 min | $150,188 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rumson’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.
- A ceiling on income. The Census stops at $250,000+, so the true median may be higher.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Rumson: questions
What is the median household income in Rumson?
$250,000+ (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rumson?
3.2%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rumson?
45 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 34% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rumson work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (17%, 21 mi), Red Bank (4%, 3 mi), Middletown Township (3%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Rumson walkable?
Rumson is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.4 out of 20, and 31% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rumson without a car?
21% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 38% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rumson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rumson
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.