Bill and Lois Stepping Stones (Wilson House) · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Bedford top those of 98% of U.S. towns
8.9% of residents live below the poverty line, against 14.0% across New York. The two grades for Bedford are A− for jobs and income and A for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 79.0 in New York City.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Bedford: the gist
Bedford trades workers with the towns around it
Bedford has about as many jobs (6,919) as working residents (7,120), but they are mostly different people: 6,423 residents leave for work each day while 6,222 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Bedford are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Home offices are common in Bedford
28% of Bedford workers work from home, against 15% across New York. Time on the road ↓
Bedford workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 41 minutes each way, against 33 across New York. Over a year that’s about 314 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Bedford and New York City trade workers both ways
New York City is the top workplace for Bedford residents (33%) and also where the most people who work in Bedford come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Bedford draws workers from far and wide
The 6,919 jobs in Bedford are filled from a wide area. Bedford’s own residents hold 10% and the ten next-biggest home towns 33%; the other 57% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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.
How Bedford earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bedford is better than 82% of U.S. towns, #137 of 758 in New York. Household income holds Bedford’s grade up ($196,034, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bedford could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
A workday in Bedford: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 6,423 residents head out to work, 697 work right here, and 6,222 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.97 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Bedford’s commute takes about 41 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bedford workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,224 commuters (the 28% 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.
33% of working residents work in New York City
Where Bedford clocks in
33% of workers
4% 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.
68% of the jobs in Bedford pay over $3,333 a month
6,919 jobs are based in Bedford.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bedford, 2013 → 2023: 7,179 → 6,919. 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 Bedford’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute from Bedford, by distance
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.
Bedford is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Bedford is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #130 of 758 in New York. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 19.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 9.2.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 7,300 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 40% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 19% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 79% 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). 4.1% of Bedford households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 18% of Bedford’s commuters take a bus or train.
Bedford is 585th of 1,999 U.S. towns of 12,000 to 23,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Floral Park NY | 16,105 | $150K | 3.0% | 3.1% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | North Castle NY | 12,360 | $208K | 3.8% | 3.1% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 86 | Victor NY | 16,422 | $116K | 2.8% | 1.6% | 16% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 583 | Stallings NC | 17,760 | $116K | 4.8% | 5.3% | 3% | A− |
| 584 | York ME | 14,293 | $121K | 5.8% | 2.7% | 31% | A− |
| 585 | Bedford NY | 16,933 | $196K | 8.9% | 4.4% | 10% | A− |
| 586 | Adams Township PA | 15,927 | $150K | 6.5% | 4.5% | 7% | A− |
| 587 | Pleasant Prairie WI | 21,798 | $104K | 7.1% | 3.6% | 14% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,999 | 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 Bedford, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
The towns around Bedford
The biggest share goes to Mount Kisco (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bedford workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | – | A− | A | 41 min | $196,034 |
| Mount Kisco | 4% | B+ | A+ | 33 min | $96,534 |
| Somers | under 2% | A | A− | 36 min | $169,894 |
| Lewisboro | under 2% | A | B+ | 38 min | $231,953 |
| Pound Ridge | under 2% | A+ | A− | 43 min | $250,000+ |
| North Castle | 2% | A+ | A | 37 min | $208,156 |
| New Castle | under 2% | A+ | A | 45 min | $250,000+ |
| Golden's Bridge | under 2% | — | — | 41 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Golden's Bridge: 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 Bedford’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 Bedford: questions
What is the median household income in Bedford?
$196,034 (±$16,843) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bedford?
8.9%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bedford?
41 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 28% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bedford work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (33%, 41 mi), Mount Kisco (4%, 4 mi), White Plains (3%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bedford walkable?
Bedford is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.2 out of 20, and 20% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bedford without a car?
18% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 19% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bedford, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bedford
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.