Earning a living in Harrisburg
90 jobs are based in Harrisburg, and 146 of its residents work somewhere. Hardly any work in Harrisburg; the top destination outside it is Lowville (17%, 8 miles). The trip to work takes 25 minutes on average (New York 33, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily flow of workers through Harrisburg
On a workday 146 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 90 people come in from elsewhere.
About 430 people are in Harrisburg on a workday afternoon, 12% fewer than live here.
0.62 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 2024, primary jobs.
Out of Harrisburg to work: where people go
Where Harrisburg clocks in
Lines 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.
Harrisburg works in goods: 71% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Harrisburg, 2014 → 2024: 63 → 90. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Harrisburg’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Harrisburg spends getting to work: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Harrisburg workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 209 commuters (the 11% 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.
The commute from Harrisburg, by distance
About 23% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Harrisburg and its neighbors: 21% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Harrisburg workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg | – | — | — | 25 min | $81,964 |
| Lowville | 17% | C− | B+ | 14 min | $69,150 |
| Pinckney | 4% | — | — | 34 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Pinckney: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Lowville. Darker towns draw more of Harrisburg’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 2024, 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 Harrisburg: questions
What is the median household income in Harrisburg?
$81,964 (±$16,496) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Harrisburg?
9.2%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Harrisburg?
25 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Harrisburg work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lowville (17%, 8 mi), Watertown (12%, 15 mi), Denmark (6%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Harrisburg without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Harrisburg, from the people who make the trip.
More of Harrisburg
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.