Photo: Denaliano at English Wikipedia · Public domainHalfmoon’s household incomes are higher than in 77% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Halfmoon are A− for jobs and income and B− for walkability. 4.3% of residents are in poverty, against 14.0% across New York. Only 7% work in Halfmoon; the top destination outside it is Albany (16%, 14 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Halfmoon stands out on work
Commutes from Halfmoon are quick
The average trip to work takes 24 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 69 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
A lot of Halfmoon works one town over
27% of working residents work in a town that borders Halfmoon: Colonie (14%), Clifton Park (10%) and Malta (3%). Next door ↓
Halfmoon draws workers from far and wide
The 7,917 jobs in Halfmoon are filled from a wide area. Halfmoon’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.
Halfmoon’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Halfmoon is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #123 of 758 in New York. The poverty rate is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Halfmoon could be anywhere from B+ to A.
About 24 minutes each way, quicker than most of New York
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Halfmoon workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,832 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.
Commuting out of Halfmoon: the destinations
Where Halfmoon clocks in
16% of workers
14% of workers
10% 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.
Who commutes out of Halfmoon, and who commutes in
On a workday 10,942 residents head out to work, 765 work right here, and 7,152 people come in from elsewhere.
About 23,000 people are in Halfmoon on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.68 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 7,917 jobs based in Halfmoon
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Halfmoon, 2013 → 2023: 6,441 → 7,917. 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 Halfmoon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Half of Halfmoon commutes less than 12 miles
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.
Getting around Halfmoon: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Halfmoon is more walkable than 47% of U.S. towns, #524 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place Halfmoon 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 14,135 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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 46% 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). 3.5% of Halfmoon households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Halfmoon’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Halfmoon is 417th among 1,477 U.S. towns of 19,000 to 36,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Eastchester NY | 34,015 | $156K | 4.8% | 2.6% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Garden City NY | 23,043 | $244K | 3.0% | 3.9% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 91 | Mineola NY | 21,376 | $138K | 5.3% | 3.2% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 415 | Byron Township MI | 28,685 | $91K | 4.9% | 3.9% | 11% | A− |
| 416 | Chili NY | 28,897 | $90K | 7.1% | 2.6% | 6% | A− |
| 417 | Halfmoon NY | 26,658 | $101K | 4.3% | 3.8% | 7% | A− |
| 418 | Hampden Township PA | 35,401 | $105K | 4.9% | 4.3% | 11% | A− |
| 419 | Waxhaw NC | 23,140 | $132K | 4.5% | 4.9% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,477 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 Halfmoon, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
The towns next door employ 27% of Halfmoon
The biggest share goes to Colonie (14%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Halfmoon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halfmoon | – | A− | B− | 24 min | $100,712 |
| Stillwater | under 3% | B | C | 29 min | $105,380 |
| Schaghticoke | under 3% | A | C− | 27 min | $107,083 |
| Mechanicville | under 3% | C+ | A− | 27 min | $50,675 |
| Clifton Park | 10% | A+ | B− | 26 min | $133,359 |
| Malta | 3% | A | C+ | 25 min | $110,425 |
| Waterford | under 3% | B+ | B | 24 min | $87,089 |
| Colonie | 14% | A− | A− | 20 min | $101,676 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Halfmoon’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 Halfmoon: questions
What is the median household income in Halfmoon?
$100,712 (±$6,517) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Halfmoon?
4.3%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Halfmoon?
24 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 Halfmoon work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Albany (16%, 14 mi), Colonie (14%, 9 mi), Clifton Park (10%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Halfmoon walkable?
Halfmoon is more walkable than 47% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.1 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Halfmoon without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Halfmoon, from the people who make the trip.
More of Halfmoon
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.