Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in North Salem earn more than those in 98% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 3.1% of residents (New York 14.0%). The two grades for North Salem are A+ for jobs and income and A− for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.6 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 79.0 in New York City.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in North Salem
North Salem workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 40 minutes each way, against 33 across New York. Over a year that’s about 307 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
One in three of North Salem works in New York City
713 working residents, 33%, have their main job in New York City, 49 miles away. That’s 5 times as many as work in North Salem itself. The commute map ↓
Home offices are common in North Salem
23% of North Salem workers work from home, against 15% across New York. Time on the road ↓
Three in four North Salem workers earn over $40,000 a year
77% of North Salem’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data. 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.
North Salem’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Salem is better than 96% of U.S. towns, #24 of 758 in New York. Household income is its strongest input ($178,750, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (2.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Salem could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Commuting from North Salem: about 40 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Salem workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,952 commuters (the 23% 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.
33% of working residents work in New York City
Where North Salem clocks in
33% 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.
69% of the jobs in North Salem pay over $3,333 a month
1,740 jobs are based in North Salem.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Salem, 2014 → 2024: 1,614 → 1,740. 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 Salem’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through North Salem
On a workday 2,010 residents head out to work, 162 work right here, and 1,578 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 (0.80 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.
North Salem’s commute, mile by mile
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.
In North Salem, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Salem is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns, #296 of 758 in New York. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 11.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 7.0.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,548 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 2.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 73% 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). 8.5% of North Salem households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of North Salem’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 3,600 to 7,000, North Salem ranks 187th of 3,696 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Lawrence NY | 6,847 | $170K | 3.5% | 3.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Irvington NY | 6,533 | $173K | 1.6% | 2.1% | 5% | A+ |
| 21 | Kings Point NY | 5,710 | $211K | 0.9% | 2.4% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 185 | St. Paul Park MN | 5,396 | $101K | 5.0% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 186 | Bayside WI | 4,331 | $160K | 5.1% | 2.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 187 | North Salem NY | 5,181 | $179K | 3.1% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| 188 | Pequea Township PA | 6,372 | $109K | 4.1% | 0.0% | 6% | A+ |
| 189 | Johnson AR | 3,684 | $96K | 2.2% | 1.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,696 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | 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 North Salem, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Around North Salem: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Somers (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Salem workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Salem | – | A+ | A− | 40 min | $178,750 |
| Somers | 2% | A | A− | 36 min | $169,894 |
| Lewisboro | under 2% | A | B+ | 38 min | $231,953 |
| Southeast | 2% | A− | A | 34 min | $110,815 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of North Salem’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 Salem: questions
What is the median household income in North Salem?
$178,750 (±$28,908) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Salem?
3.1%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Salem?
40 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Salem work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (33%, 49 mi), Bedford (3%, 8 mi), Mount Pleasant (3%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is North Salem walkable?
North Salem is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Salem without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Salem, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Salem
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.