Photo: Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0Transit carries 53% of New York City’s commuters to work
Working residents average 40 minutes each way (New York State 33, U.S. 26). The two grades for New York City are B− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. More than four in five work in the city; the top destination outside the city is Hempstead (2%, 17 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in New York City: the figures worth knowing
Most jobs in New York City go to people who live here
Of the 4,332,461 jobs based in New York City, 69% are held by New York City residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of New York City’s working residents have a job less than 6 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 40 minutes, longer than the New York State average of 33. The reason is the way people travel: 53% of commuters take transit, against 4% nationally. How people get to work ↓ Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
New York City’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, New York City is better than 46% of U.S. towns, #448 of 758 in New York. Job access by car holds New York City’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (8.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
The New York State figures include the city itself, home to 43% of the state’s residents, so the city and state figures are partly the same people.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, New York City stays B−.
A workday in New York City: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 533,860 residents head out to work, 2,993,335 work right here, and 1,339,126 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.23 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
New York City’s commute takes about 40 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of New York City workers work from home, vs 15% across New York State. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,263,450 commuters (the 17% who work from home are left out). Across New York State: 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.
85% of working residents work in the city
Where New York City clocks in
2% of workers
1% 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.
Most jobs in New York City are in services
4,332,461 jobs are based in New York City.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in New York City, 2014 → 2024: 3,771,005 → 4,332,461. 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 New York City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Household incomes run from $48,676 in the Bronx to $103,931 in Manhattan
The city’s grades are citywide averages. Figures for each borough, without letters. Staten Island commutes most like a suburb: 58% of its commuters drive alone, against 8% in Manhattan.
| Borough | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Transit | Walk, bike, transit | No car | Work from home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | $103,931 | 16.6% | 7.6% | 59% | 86% | 78% | 26% |
| Brooklyn | $80,263 | 18.9% | 7.9% | 58% | 71% | 56% | 19% |
| Queens | $86,136 | 12.8% | 7.2% | 48% | 55% | 37% | 13% |
| The Bronx | $48,676 | 27.7% | 11.4% | 58% | 66% | 61% | 9% |
| Staten Island | $98,333 | 11.5% | 5.6% | 26% | 29% | 16% | 11% |
| New York City | $80,483 | 17.9% | 8.0% | 53% | 66% | 55% | 17% |
Census ACS 2020–24 for each borough (a county): median household income, poverty rate, unemployment rate; transit and walk/bike/transit as a share of commuters; households with no vehicle. Borough commute times and borough-to-borough trips need two more Census tables (B08013, LEHD by county), not loaded yet.
The commute from New York City, by distance
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.
New York City is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, New York City is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #31 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place New York City near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,926,797 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 91% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 79.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 55.3% of New York City households have no vehicle (New York State 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 53% of New York City’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ. The borough table below splits them.
New York City and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | – | B− | A+ | 40 min | $80,483 |
| Hempstead | 2% | A | A+ | 37 min | $141,243 |
| Yonkers | under 1% | B− | A+ | 36 min | $83,549 |
| Mount Vernon | under 1% | B− | A+ | 35 min | $78,779 |
| Woodmere | under 1% | — | — | 42 min | — |
| North Hempstead | 1% | A | A+ | 36 min | $158,158 |
| Inwood | under 1% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Lawrence | under 1% | A+ | A+ | 39 min | $170,000 |
| University Gardens | under 1% | — | — | 47 min | — |
| South Valley Stream | under 1% | — | — | 41 min | — |
| Elmont | under 1% | — | — | 40 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Woodmere, Inwood, University Gardens, South Valley Stream and Elmont: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Hempstead. Darker towns draw more of New York 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 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 New York City: questions
What is the median household income in New York City?
$80,483 (±$601) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York State and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in New York City?
17.9%, against 14.0% across New York State and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from New York City?
40 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York State and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in New York City work?
85% work in the city. The top destinations elsewhere are Hempstead (2%, 17 mi), North Hempstead (1%, 17 mi), Oyster Bay (1%, 24 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is New York City walkable?
New York City is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.9 out of 20, and 66% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around New York City without a car?
91% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from New York City, from the people who make the trip.
More of New York City
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. 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.