Upper Montclair has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.5 for each
Home is the office for 43% of workers, against 17% across New Jersey. There are 2,219 jobs in Upper Montclair, and 4,804 of its residents work somewhere. Only 4% work in Upper Montclair; the top destination outside it is New York City (23%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Upper Montclair stands out on work
Home offices are common in Upper Montclair
43% of Upper Montclair workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
Upper Montclair workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 42 minutes each way, against 31 across New Jersey. Over a year that’s about 322 hours of commuting, 84 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (21 to 34 minutes). Time on the road ↓
A lot of Upper Montclair workers cross into New York
19% of Upper Montclair workers work outside New Jersey, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, New York City (23%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Upper Montclair
77% of Upper Montclair residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 52% of the jobs based in Upper Montclair pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 96% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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.
Getting to work from Upper Montclair takes about 42 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Upper Montclair workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,441 commuters (the 43% 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.
Where Upper Montclair goes to work
Where Upper Montclair clocks in
23% of workers
10% 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.
What Upper Montclair’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Upper Montclair, 2013 → 2023: 2,509 → 2,219. 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 Upper Montclair’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many people are in Upper Montclair by day
On a workday 4,614 residents head out to work, 190 work right here, and 2,029 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,900 people are in Upper Montclair on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Half of Upper Montclair commutes less than 14 miles
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.
Next door to Upper Montclair
The biggest share goes to Clifton (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Upper Montclair workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Montclair | – | — | — | 42 min | $250,000+ |
| Cedar Grove Township | under 2% | A− | A+ | 34 min | $151,263 |
| Montclair State University | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Clifton | 1% | B+ | A+ | 28 min | $98,237 |
Same-state neighbors only. Montclair State University: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Upper Montclair’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 Upper Montclair: questions
What is the median household income in Upper Montclair?
$250,000+ (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Upper Montclair?
1.9%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Upper Montclair?
42 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 43% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Upper Montclair work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (23%, 18 mi), Montclair Township (10%, 1 mi), Newark (4%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Upper Montclair without a car?
30% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Upper Montclair, from the people who make the trip.
More of Upper Montclair
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.