Photo: Infrastorian · Public domainHousehold incomes in Farmingdale are higher than in 89% of U.S. towns
Only 5% work in Farmingdale; the top destination outside it is New York City (29%, 26 miles). 5.2% of residents live below the poverty line; New York has 14.0%. The two grades for Farmingdale 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
Farmingdale and work: the main findings
Farmingdale trades workers with the towns around it
Farmingdale has about as many jobs (5,333) as working residents (4,517), but they are mostly different people: 4,302 residents leave for work each day while 5,118 people come in. Only 4% of the jobs in Farmingdale are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Farmingdale has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Farmingdale went from 3,545 in 2013 to 5,333 in 2023, +50%. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Farmingdale
72% of Farmingdale residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 52% of the jobs based in Farmingdale pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
29% of Farmingdale works in New York City
1,328 working residents, 29%, have their main job in New York City, 26 miles away. That’s 6 times as many as work in Farmingdale itself. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Farmingdale
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Farmingdale is better than 93% of U.S. towns, #52 of 758 in New York. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. 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, Farmingdale could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Who works in Farmingdale, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 4,302 residents head out to work, 215 work right here, and 5,118 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,400 people are in Farmingdale on a workday afternoon, 10% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.18 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.
What Farmingdale’s employers do
5,333 jobs are based in Farmingdale.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Farmingdale, 2013 → 2023: 3,545 → 5,333. 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 Farmingdale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting out of Farmingdale: the destinations
Where Farmingdale clocks in
29% of workers
18% of workers
15% 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.
Getting to work from Farmingdale takes about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Farmingdale workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,689 commuters (the 16% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Farmingdale
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.
Farmingdale is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Farmingdale is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #48 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place Farmingdale 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 4,372 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 48% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 16.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 97% 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). 9.9% of Farmingdale households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 12% of Farmingdale’s commuters take a bus or train.
307th of 2,944: where Farmingdale ranks among U.S. towns of 6,000 to 11,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Lawrence NY | 6,847 | $170K | 3.5% | 3.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Irvington NY | 6,533 | $173K | 1.6% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 113 | East Rockaway NY | 10,096 | $125K | 2.6% | 3.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 305 | Rossmoor CA | 11,532 | $212K | 4.2% | 3.6% | 2% | A |
| 306 | Pelham NY | 7,608 | $184K | 2.9% | 5.3% | 6% | A |
| 307 | Farmingdale NY | 8,584 | $123K | 5.2% | 3.7% | 5% | A |
| 308 | Durham CT | 7,209 | $159K | 3.4% | 3.6% | 8% | A |
| 309 | Dacono CO | 6,844 | $105K | 3.9% | 2.6% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,944 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Farmingdale, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Work in the towns next to Farmingdale
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Farmingdale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmingdale | – | A | A+ | 31 min | $122,980 |
| Old Bethpage | under 1% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| South Farmingdale | under 1% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Bethpage | under 1% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Plainedge | under 1% | — | — | 31 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Old Bethpage, South Farmingdale, Bethpage and Plainedge: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Farmingdale’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 Farmingdale: questions
What is the median household income in Farmingdale?
$122,980 (±$14,873) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Farmingdale?
5.2%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Farmingdale?
31 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Farmingdale work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (29%, 26 mi), Oyster Bay (18%, 6 mi), Hempstead (15%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Farmingdale walkable?
Farmingdale is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.4 out of 20, and 14% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Farmingdale without a car?
12% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 48% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Farmingdale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Farmingdale
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.