Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Highland works elsewhere
There are 1,474 jobs in Highland, and 2,866 of its residents work somewhere. Only 6% stay in Highland for work; outside it, New York City is the main destination (13%, 73 miles). The average commute takes 28 minutes each way, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Highland: the figures worth knowing
Highland’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Highland is New York City, 73 miles away as the crow flies. 13% of working residents (364) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Commutes from Highland are quick
The average trip to work takes 28 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Highland
About 26% 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.
A commute of about 28 minutes in Highland
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Highland workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,615 commuters (the 18% 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 workday shuffle in and out of Highland
On a workday 2,684 residents head out to work, 182 work right here, and 1,292 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,000 people are in Highland on a workday afternoon, 22% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting out of Highland: the destinations
Where Highland clocks in
13% of workers
11% of workers
11% 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.
What Highland’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Highland, 2013 → 2023: 1,692 → 1,474. 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 Highland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
11% of Highland works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Highland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland | – | — | — | 28 min | $101,917 |
| Hyde Park | under 2% | B− | B+ | 29 min | $87,094 |
| Poughkeepsie | 11% | B+ | A | 27 min | $97,724 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Poughkeepsie. Darker towns draw more of Highland’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 Highland: questions
What is the median household income in Highland?
$101,917 (±$28,730) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Highland?
5.8%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Highland?
28 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Highland work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (13%, 73 mi), Lloyd (11%, 2 mi), Poughkeepsie (11%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Highland without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Highland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Highland
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.