About half of South River’s working residents commute to Farmington
5% of workers have no commute at all (New Mexico 12%). Jobs and income earn South River C; getting around on foot earns it D. Hardly any work in South River; the top destination outside it is Farmington (46%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets South River apart on work
South River is a place people come home to
There are 135 jobs based in South River, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday South River has about 1,100 people in it, 37% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of South River’s working residents have a job less than 8 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 33 minutes, longer than the New Mexico average of 24. 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; with 813 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in South River
On income, poverty and job access, South River is better than 28% of U.S. towns. All three inputs sit close together, so no single one decides South River’s grade.
Unemployment (4.6%) is left out: South River’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, South River could be anywhere from D to B.
Who works in South River, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 807 residents head out to work, 6 work right here, and 129 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in South River on a workday afternoon, 37% fewer than live here.
0.17 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.
From South River, about 33 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South River workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 803 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across New Mexico: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where South River’s working residents head each day
Where South River clocks in
46% of workers
7% of workers
5% 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.
A place that makes things: 80% of South River’s jobs are in goods
135 jobs are based in South River.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South River, 2013 → 2023: 123 → 135. 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 South River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from South River
About 15% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
The commute in South River is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South River is more walkable than 13% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place South River 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 845 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 19% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 47% 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). 1.4% of South River households have no vehicle (New Mexico 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of South River’s commuters take a bus or train.
South River places 3,312th of 5,343 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 1,300 to 2,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 642 | Picacho Hills NM | 2,002 | $121K | 5.6% | 1.7% | 2% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 814 | Tres Arroyos NM | 1,926 | $88K | 2.2% | 5.1% | 2% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 967 | Little Walnut Village NM | 1,445 | $125K | 2.8% | 0.0% | 1% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,310 | New Sharon ME | 1,614 | $64K | 9.6% | 0.0% | 4% | C |
| 3,311 | Waddington NY | 2,220 | $80K | 11.3% | 3.3% | 5% | C |
| 3,312 | South River NM | 1,810 | $69K | 13.7% | 4.6% | 1% | C |
| 3,313 | Henderson LA | 1,594 | $49K | 12.9% | 1.1% | 15% | C |
| 3,314 | Camp Point Township IL | 1,612 | $66K | 9.9% | 1.5% | 12% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 5,343 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 River, the top three, the last and three more from New Mexico.
The towns next door employ 60% of South River
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South River workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South River | – | C | D | 33 min | $68,668 |
| Crouch Mesa | 3% | C− | D | 26 min | $63,750 |
| Flora Vista | 1% | C+ | D | 27 min | $44,352 |
| Spencerville | 3% | C+ | B− | 15 min | $78,899 |
| Aztec | 7% | D | A− | 21 min | $41,977 |
| Farmington | 46% | C+ | A− | 20 min | $68,784 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Farmington. Darker towns draw more of South River’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 South River: questions
What is the median household income in South River?
$68,668 (±$17,973) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South River?
13.7%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South River?
33 minutes each way on average, against 24 across New Mexico and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South River work?
1% work in town.
Is South River walkable?
South River is more walkable than 13% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 5.1 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South River without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South River, from the people who make the trip.
More of South River
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.