Nelson Welsh Congregational Church · Photo: Beangus · CC BY-SA 3.0Work and commuting in Nelson
About one in ten stay in Nelson for work; outside it, Cazenovia is the main destination (12%, 6 miles). Jobs and income earn Nelson B−; getting around on foot earns it C−. Commuters spend 29 minutes getting to work on average, next to 33 for New York and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Nelson in brief
Nelson makes and builds things
78% of the jobs based in Nelson are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Nelson residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 17%. The jobs ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Nelson than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Nelson fell from 1,343 in 2013 to 729 in 2023, −46%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
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 943 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Nelson
On income, poverty and job access, Nelson is better than 45% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds Nelson’s grade up (7.8%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 18% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income.
Unemployment (3.1%) is left out: Nelson’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Nelson could be anywhere from C− to B+.
Goods jobs make up 78% of work in Nelson
729 jobs are based in Nelson.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Nelson, 2013 → 2023: 1,343 → 729. 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 Nelson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A workday in Nelson: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 861 residents head out to work, 82 work right here, and 647 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,700 people are in Nelson on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.77 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 the trip to work from Nelson ends
Where Nelson clocks in
12% of workers
12% 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.
The daily trip from Nelson: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Nelson workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 755 commuters (the 14% 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.
Nelson’s commute, mile by mile
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.
For most of Nelson, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Nelson is more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 1.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 4.0.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 876 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.8% of Nelson households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Nelson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Nelson is 2,493rd among 5,656 U.S. towns of 1,300 to 2,500
| # | 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 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 4 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Atlantic Beach NY | 1,723 | $166K | 1.8% | 3.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,491 | Ellington Township MI | 1,318 | $82K | 6.6% | 2.9% | 3% | B− |
| 2,492 | Lake Edward Township MN | 2,234 | $82K | 6.7% | 5.2% | 4% | B− |
| 2,493 | Nelson NY | 1,879 | $82K | 7.8% | 3.1% | 9% | B− |
| 2,494 | Fabius NY | 1,961 | $94K | 8.3% | 6.7% | 9% | B− |
| 2,495 | Columbus Township PA | 1,540 | $73K | 5.5% | 1.8% | 3% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,656 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 Nelson, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Bordering towns draw 15% of Nelson’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Nelson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | – | B− | C− | 29 min | $82,063 |
| Cazenovia | 12% | B+ | A− | 23 min | $108,250 |
| Georgetown | under 3% | — | — | 41 min | — |
| Eaton | 3% | C− | A− | 20 min | $53,281 |
| Fenner | under 3% | C+ | C+ | 26 min | $77,750 |
Same-state neighbors only. Georgetown: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Cazenovia. Darker towns draw more of Nelson’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 Nelson: questions
What is the median household income in Nelson?
$82,063 (±$18,202) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Nelson?
7.8%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Nelson?
29 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Nelson work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cazenovia (12%, 6 mi), Syracuse (12%, 23 mi), DeWitt (8%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Nelson walkable?
Nelson is more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 4.0 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Nelson without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Nelson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Nelson
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.