Photo: Binksternet · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in West Orange Township have higher incomes than those in 91% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.2 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 43.7 in Jersey City. 7.4% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.7% across New Jersey. The two grades for West Orange Township 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 work figures that set West Orange Township apart
West Orange Township draws workers from far and wide
The 13,435 jobs in West Orange Township are filled from a wide area. West Orange Township’s own residents hold 11% and the ten next-biggest home towns 26%; the other 63% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Nearly all the work in West Orange Township is services
86% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 3% are in factories, building or farms. 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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in West Orange Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Orange Township is better than 80% of U.S. towns, #240 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds West Orange Township’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (6.0%, 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, West Orange Township could be anywhere from B+ to A.
18% of working residents work in New York City
Where West Orange Township clocks in
18% of workers
8% 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.
Most jobs in West Orange Township are in services
13,435 jobs are based in West Orange Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Orange Township, 2013 → 2023: 13,531 → 13,435. 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 West Orange Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through West Orange Township
On a workday 20,652 residents head out to work, 1,467 work right here, and 11,968 people come in from elsewhere.
About 41,000 people are in West Orange Township on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.61 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.
Commuting from West Orange Township: about 34 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Orange Township workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 19,345 commuters (the 23% 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.
West Orange Township’s commute, mile by mile
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.
West Orange Township 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, West Orange Township is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #122 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place West Orange Township 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 25,209 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 86% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 29% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 6.8% of West Orange Township households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 16% of West Orange Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
West Orange Township places 292nd of 887 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 35,000 to 67,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| 3 | Oakton VA | 36,528 | $161K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 36 | Marlboro Township NJ | 42,254 | $186K | 3.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Bridgewater Township NJ | 46,455 | $173K | 4.1% | 3.7% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 88 | Wayne Township NJ | 54,819 | $153K | 3.4% | 4.9% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 290 | Evans GA | 36,998 | $125K | 6.6% | 3.9% | 11% | A− |
| 291 | Tigard OR | 57,929 | $109K | 6.7% | 4.7% | 13% | A− |
| 292 | West Orange Township NJ | 49,557 | $130K | 7.4% | 6.0% | 7% | A− |
| 293 | Jupiter FL | 62,350 | $110K | 9.5% | 3.0% | 21% | A− |
| 294 | Santee CA | 58,205 | $113K | 7.9% | 4.7% | 8% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 887 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 West Orange Township, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
The towns around West Orange Township
The biggest share goes to Livingston Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Orange Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Orange Township | – | A− | A+ | 34 min | $129,753 |
| City of Orange Township | under 2% | C− | A+ | 32 min | $52,847 |
| Montclair Township | 2% | A | A+ | 36 min | $151,075 |
| Livingston Township | 3% | A+ | A+ | 38 min | $229,806 |
| South Orange Village Township | under 2% | A | A+ | 39 min | $196,481 |
| Essex Fells | under 2% | A | A | 31 min | $250,000+ |
| Verona Township | under 2% | A | A+ | 32 min | $161,843 |
| Millburn Township | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 42 min | $250,000+ |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Orange Township’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 West Orange Township: questions
What is the median household income in West Orange Township?
$129,753 (±$14,240) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Orange Township?
7.4%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Orange Township?
34 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Orange Township work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (18%, 19 mi), Newark (8%, 6 mi), Livingston Township (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Orange Township walkable?
West Orange Township is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.0 out of 20, and 18% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Orange Township without a car?
16% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 29% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Orange Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Orange Township
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.