Babylon has higher household incomes than 94% of U.S. towns
Commuters spend 33 minutes getting to work on average, where New York has 33 and the U.S. 26. 3.5% of residents are in poverty, next to 14.0% for New York as a whole. About one in ten stay in Babylon for work; outside it, Babylon is the main destination (21%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Babylon: the figures worth knowing
Babylon and Babylon trade workers both ways
Babylon is the top workplace for Babylon residents (21%) and also where the most people who work in Babylon come from (30% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Babylon
70% of Babylon residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 48% of the jobs based in Babylon pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 92% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Nearly all the work in Babylon is services
87% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 6% 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.
Why Babylon gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Babylon is better than 96% of U.S. towns, #22 of 758 in New York. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.5%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Babylon could be anywhere from A to A+.
Where people from Babylon work
Where Babylon clocks in
21% of workers
13% 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.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Babylon
4,261 jobs are based in Babylon.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Babylon, 2013 → 2023: 4,099 → 4,261. 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 Babylon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Babylon
On a workday 5,294 residents head out to work, 468 work right here, and 3,793 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in Babylon on a workday afternoon, 12% fewer than live here.
0.74 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.
The trip to work from Babylon: about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Babylon workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,296 commuters (the 20% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from Babylon
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.
Babylon is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,630 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 82% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 6% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 13.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 96% 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). 3.4% of Babylon households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of Babylon’s commuters take a bus or train.
139th of 2,354: where Babylon ranks among U.S. towns of 9,000 to 17,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Floral Park NY | 16,105 | $150K | 3.0% | 3.1% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 87 | East Rockaway NY | 10,096 | $125K | 2.6% | 3.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 90 | North Castle NY | 12,360 | $208K | 3.8% | 3.1% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 137 | Wyndham VA | 12,099 | $235K | 1.2% | 3.3% | 3% | A+ |
| 138 | Totowa NJ | 11,166 | $114K | 4.1% | 3.0% | 9% | A+ |
| 139 | Babylon NY | 12,281 | $141K | 3.5% | 3.5% | 8% | A+ |
| 140 | Ellington CT | 16,594 | $130K | 2.4% | 2.7% | 10% | A+ |
| 141 | Tolland CT | 14,752 | $133K | 5.3% | 1.2% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,354 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Babylon, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Next door is work for 13% of Babylon
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Babylon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon | – | A+ | A+ | 33 min | $140,820 |
| West Islip | under 1% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Islip | 13% | A | A− | 28 min | $130,132 |
| West Babylon | under 1% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| North Babylon | under 1% | — | — | 35 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. West Islip, West Babylon and North Babylon: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Islip. Darker towns draw more of Babylon’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 Babylon: questions
What is the median household income in Babylon?
$140,820 (±$15,899) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Babylon?
3.5%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Babylon?
33 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Babylon work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Babylon (21%, 4 mi), New York City (21%, 32 mi), Islip (13%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Babylon walkable?
Babylon is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.5 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Babylon without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 6% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Babylon, from the people who make the trip.
More of Babylon
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.