Photo: VitaleBaby at en.wikipedia · Public domainAt 8.7%, unemployment in Highland is higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
Working residents average 39 minutes each way, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. The two grades for Highland are C− for jobs and income and B− for walkability. About one in seven stay in Highland for work; outside it, New York City is the main destination (14%, 80 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Highland in brief
Highland’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Highland is New York City, 80 miles away as the crow flies. 14% of working residents (101) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
41% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Highland workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 39 minutes each way, against 33 across New York. Over a year that’s about 299 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical 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; with 743 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
What’s behind Highland’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Highland is better than 19% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds Highland’s grade up (7.1%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 5% of U.S. towns).
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Highland could be anywhere from D to B.
Near or far: the trip to work from Highland
About 41% 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.
How long Highland spends getting to work: about 39 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.3 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 779 commuters (the 17% 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.
Highland on a workday afternoon
On a workday 643 residents head out to work, 100 work right here, and 307 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,900 people are in Highland on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.55 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.
Out of Highland to work: where people go
Where Highland clocks in
14% of workers
13% 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.
Services make up most of the work in Highland
407 jobs are based in Highland.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Highland, 2013 → 2023: 350 → 407. 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.
Few in Highland walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Highland is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 5.6.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 943 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 2.2% of Highland households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Highland’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 5,641 U.S. towns of 1,500 to 3,000, Highland comes 4,228th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Atlantic Beach NY | 1,723 | $166K | 1.8% | 3.1% | 3% | A+ |
| 8 | Village of the Branch NY | 1,764 | $174K | 1.5% | 3.1% | 2% | A+ |
| 9 | Old Brookville NY | 2,098 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,226 | Southwest Harbor ME | 1,873 | $59K | 9.3% | 4.0% | 30% | C− |
| 4,227 | Augusta NY | 2,004 | $58K | 15.7% | 2.5% | 3% | C− |
| 4,228 | Highland NY | 2,214 | $64K | 7.1% | 8.7% | 13% | C− |
| 4,229 | Sutton Township OH | 3,000 | $41K | 22.5% | 1.5% | 5% | C− |
| 4,230 | Necedah WI | 2,493 | $58K | 9.7% | 4.4% | 5% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,641 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Highland, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Around Highland: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Highland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland | – | C− | B− | 39 min | $63,846 |
| Lumberland | under 2% | B− | C | 35 min | $102,957 |
| Tusten | under 2% | C+ | B+ | 39 min | $75,893 |
| Bethel | under 2% | C | C | 32 min | $67,048 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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?
$63,846 (±$26,073) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Highland?
7.1%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Highland?
39 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Highland work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (14%, 80 mi), Thompson (13%, 12 mi), Wallkill (3%, 26 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Highland walkable?
Highland is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 5.6 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Highland without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
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. 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.