How Northfield works: jobs, income and commuting
Only 6% work in Northfield itself; outside it, Cleveland draws the most (13%, 12 miles). The two grades for Northfield are B for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. Working residents average 31 minutes each way, where Ohio has 23 and the U.S. 26.
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 Northfield
Northfield trades workers with the towns around it
Northfield has about as many jobs (1,523) as working residents (1,698), but they are mostly different people: 1,593 residents leave for work each day while 1,418 people come in. Only 7% of the jobs in Northfield are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Northfield has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Northfield went from 934 in 2013 to 1,523 in 2023, +63%. The jobs ↓
Northfield workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 23 across Ohio. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Northfield
59% of Northfield residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 40% of the jobs based in Northfield pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Northfield’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Northfield is better than 56% of U.S. towns, #547 of 992 in Ohio. Job access by car holds Northfield’s grade up (ahead of 90% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (12.4%, U.S. 12.5%).
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Northfield could be anywhere from C to A.
How a workday changes Northfield
On a workday 1,593 residents head out to work, 105 work right here, and 1,418 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 (0.90 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.
The kinds of work in Northfield
1,523 jobs are based in Northfield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Northfield, 2013 → 2023: 934 → 1,523. 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 Northfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 31 minutes each way, longer than most of Ohio
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Northfield workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,541 commuters (the 17% who work from home are left out). Across Ohio: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where Northfield’s working residents head each day
Where Northfield clocks in
13% of workers
6% of workers
5% 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.
Miles to work from Northfield
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.
Driving is how Northfield gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Northfield is more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns, #544 of 993 in Ohio. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.7% across Ohio.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,857 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). 5.3% of Northfield households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Northfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Northfield is 1,956th among 4,474 U.S. towns of 2,500 to 4,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Jersey Township OH | 2,678 | $136K | 2.4% | 1.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 47 | Silver Lake OH | 2,504 | $140K | 2.9% | 1.4% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | Evendale OH | 2,657 | $149K | 1.5% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,954 | Barrett Township PA | 4,010 | $85K | 7.6% | 3.1% | 20% | B |
| 1,955 | Gothenburg NE | 3,430 | $79K | 10.1% | 0.6% | 48% | B |
| 1,956 | Northfield OH | 3,617 | $71K | 12.4% | 4.5% | 6% | B |
| 1,957 | Lafayette Township IL | 4,678 | $69K | 13.4% | 0.5% | 12% | B |
| 1,958 | Fabius Township MI | 3,325 | $96K | 8.8% | 5.0% | 2% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 4,474 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Northfield, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
Next door to Northfield
The biggest share goes to Macedonia (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Northfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield | – | B | C+ | 31 min | $70,917 |
| Sagamore Hills Township | under 2% | A− | C | 24 min | $90,604 |
| Macedonia | 3% | A | C | 26 min | $101,285 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Northfield’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 Northfield: questions
What is the median household income in Northfield?
$70,917 (±$13,941) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Northfield?
12.4%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Northfield?
31 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Northfield work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cleveland (13%, 12 mi), Solon (6%, 6 mi), Twinsburg (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Northfield walkable?
Northfield is more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 8.3 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Northfield without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Northfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Northfield
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.