With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of North Boston works elsewhere
Working residents average 22 minutes each way, where New York has 33 and the U.S. 26. 651 jobs are based in North Boston, and 1,242 of its residents work somewhere. Only 3% work in North Boston itself; outside it, Buffalo draws the most (18%, 15 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in North Boston: the figures worth knowing
Jobs in North Boston have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in North Boston went from 310 in 2014 to 651 in 2024, +110%. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside North Boston
69% of North Boston residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 34% of the jobs based in North Boston pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Commutes from North Boston are quick
The average trip to work takes 22 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 84 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
Many jobs in North Boston pay little
35% of the jobs based in North Boston pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 52% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The kinds of work in North Boston
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Boston, 2014 → 2024: 310 → 651. 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 North Boston’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from North Boston: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Boston workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 984 commuters (the 11% 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 daily commute in and out of North Boston
On a workday 1,207 residents head out to work, 35 work right here, and 616 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,800 people are in North Boston on a workday afternoon, 25% 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 2024, primary jobs.
Commuting out of North Boston: the destinations
Where North Boston clocks in
18% of workers
11% of workers
10% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from North Boston
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.
11% of North Boston works in a town next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Boston workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Boston | – | — | — | 22 min | $62,377 |
| Hamburg | 11% | B+ | A− | 23 min | $88,651 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Hamburg. Darker towns draw more of North Boston’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 North Boston: questions
What is the median household income in North Boston?
$62,377 (±$15,539) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Boston?
5.6%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Boston?
22 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 North Boston work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Buffalo (18%, 15 mi), Hamburg (11%, 6 mi), Amherst (10%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around North Boston without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Boston, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Boston
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.