Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0At 11.4%, unemployment in Johnson City is higher than in 96% of U.S. towns
Measured by household income, Johnson City is behind 79% of U.S. towns. The two grades for Johnson City are C− for jobs and income and A for walkability. About one in seven work in Johnson City itself; outside it, Union draws the most (25%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Johnson City
Much of Johnson City works one town over
60% of working residents work in a town that borders Johnson City: Union (25%), Binghamton (21%) and Vestal (8%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Johnson City are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 123 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
Most Johnson City residents work close to home
68% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
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.
Income, poverty and work: Johnson City’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Johnson City is better than 18% of U.S. towns, #659 of 758 in New York. Job access by car holds Johnson City’s grade up (ahead of 69% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Johnson City could be anywhere from D to C.
The daily trip from Johnson City: about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Johnson City workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,745 commuters (the 10% 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.
Johnson City’s commute, mile by mile
About 24% 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.
The workday shuffle in and out of Johnson City
On a workday 4,649 residents head out to work, 846 work right here, and 7,300 people come in from elsewhere.
About 17,000 people are in Johnson City on a workday afternoon, 18% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.48 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.
Where Johnson City’s working residents head each day
Where Johnson City clocks in
25% of workers
21% of workers
8% 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 Johnson City’s employers do
8,146 jobs are based in Johnson City.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Johnson City, 2013 → 2023: 10,192 → 8,146. 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 Johnson City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In Johnson City, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Johnson City is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns, #227 of 758 in New York. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 8.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 8.2.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,364 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). 14.1% of Johnson City households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Johnson City’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Johnson City is 2,109th of 2,362 U.S. towns of 10,000 to 20,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 56 | Floral Park NY | 16,105 | $150K | 3.0% | 3.1% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 81 | East Rockaway NY | 10,096 | $125K | 2.6% | 3.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 83 | North Castle NY | 12,360 | $208K | 3.8% | 3.1% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,107 | Alice TX | 17,550 | $49K | 31.4% | 4.1% | 37% | C− |
| 2,108 | Brookhaven MS | 11,646 | $37K | 28.6% | 3.4% | 43% | C− |
| 2,109 | Johnson City NY | 14,580 | $56K | 19.6% | 11.4% | 15% | C− |
| 2,110 | Chickasha OK | 17,313 | $54K | 17.5% | 6.9% | 38% | C− |
| 2,111 | Bayshore Gardens FL | 18,131 | $45K | 15.0% | 11.4% | 2% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,362 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Johnson City, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
60% of Johnson City works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Johnson City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson City | – | C− | A | 17 min | $56,283 |
| Union | 25% | C | A− | 18 min | $61,713 |
| Dickinson | 6% | B | C+ | 17 min | $77,864 |
| Binghamton | 21% | D | A | 19 min | $45,578 |
| Vestal | 8% | B− | A− | 19 min | $83,012 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Union. Darker towns draw more of Johnson City’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 Johnson City: questions
What is the median household income in Johnson City?
$56,283 (±$4,418) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Johnson City?
19.6%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Johnson City?
17 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Johnson City work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Union (25%, 4 mi), Binghamton (21%, 3 mi), Vestal (8%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Johnson City walkable?
Johnson City is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 8.2 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Johnson City without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Johnson City, from the people who make the trip.
More of Johnson City
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.