Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in South Plainfield top those of 91% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 43.7 in Jersey City. 3.0% of residents live below the poverty line; New Jersey has 9.7%. South Plainfield grades A for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set South Plainfield apart
South Plainfield draws workers from far and wide
The 19,609 jobs in South Plainfield are filled from a wide area. South Plainfield’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 28%; the other 65% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
No single place dominates South Plainfield’s commute
The biggest draw, New York City, NY, gets only 8% of working residents, and 55% work outside the top ten towns entirely. South Plainfield residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
South Plainfield gains people on a workday
About 31,000 people are in South Plainfield on a workday afternoon, 25% more than the 25,000 who live here: 18,000 come in to work and 12,000 head out. Day and night ↓
South Plainfield’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside South Plainfield is New York City, NY, 26 miles away as the crow flies. 8% of working residents (1,113) 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 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in South Plainfield
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Plainfield is better than 90% of U.S. towns, #125 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds South Plainfield’s grade up (ahead of 97% of 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, South Plainfield could be anywhere from A− to A+.
8% of working residents work in New York City
Where South Plainfield clocks in
8% of workers
7% 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 and out of South Plainfield on a workday
On a workday 11,918 residents head out to work, 1,346 work right here, and 18,263 people come in from elsewhere.
About 31,000 people are in South Plainfield on a workday afternoon, 25% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.48 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Short hops and long hauls from South Plainfield
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.
68% of the jobs in South Plainfield pay over $3,333 a month
19,609 jobs are based in South Plainfield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Plainfield, 2014 → 2024: 20,769 → 19,609. 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 South Plainfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from South Plainfield: about 30 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Plainfield workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,356 commuters (the 16% 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.
South Plainfield 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, South Plainfield is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns, #265 of 468 in New Jersey. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 13.2% across New Jersey.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 12,385 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 88% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 20% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 66% 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). 2.5% of South Plainfield households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of South Plainfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, South Plainfield is 306th among 1,688 U.S. towns of 17,000 to 34,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 304 | Harrison NY | 32,273 | $164K | 4.1% | 5.5% | 10% | A |
| 305 | East Goshen Township PA | 18,365 | $107K | 5.7% | 3.2% | 3% | A |
| 306 | South Plainfield NJ | 24,891 | $130K | 3.0% | 5.6% | 10% | A |
| 307 | New Canaan CT | 21,208 | $250K | 3.7% | 5.2% | 13% | A |
| 308 | Somerset MA | 18,681 | $113K | 4.9% | 3.3% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,688 | 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 South Plainfield, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
10% of South Plainfield works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Edison Township (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Plainfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Plainfield | – | A | A | 30 min | $130,239 |
| Piscataway Township | 3% | A− | A | 26 min | $127,832 |
| Edison Township | 7% | A− | A+ | 34 min | $125,145 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Plainfield’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 South Plainfield: questions
What is the median household income in South Plainfield?
$130,239 (±$8,213) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Plainfield?
3.0%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Plainfield?
30 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Plainfield work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (8%, 26 mi), Edison Township (7%, 6 mi), Woodbridge Township (3%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is South Plainfield walkable?
South Plainfield is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.3 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Plainfield without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 20% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Plainfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Plainfield
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.