Narbrook Park Historic District · Photo: Smallbones · CC0Households in Narberth earn more than those in 90% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Narberth A+; getting around on foot earns it A+. 1.7% of residents live below the poverty line, where Pennsylvania as a whole has 11.7%. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 8.0 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.7 in Philadelphia.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Narberth
A lot of Narberth works from home
44% of Narberth workers work from home, against 16% across Pennsylvania. Time on the road ↓
Narberth and Philadelphia trade workers both ways
Philadelphia is the top workplace for Narberth residents (38%) and also where the most people who work in Narberth come from (24% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Most Narberth residents work close to home
70% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. Only 7% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
Three in four Narberth workers earn over $40,000 a year
79% of Narberth’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 based in Narberth itself pay less: 61% are in that band. 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Narberth
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Narberth is better than 98% of U.S. towns, #27 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The poverty rate is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Narberth could be anywhere from A− to A+.
From Narberth, about 27 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Narberth workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,514 commuters (the 44% who work from home are left out). Across Pennsylvania: 81% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
38% of working residents work in Philadelphia
Where Narberth clocks in
38% of workers
11% 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.
The commute from Narberth, by distance
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.
In Narberth, services account for most jobs
1,129 jobs are based in Narberth.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Narberth, 2013 → 2023: 1,035 → 1,129. 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 Narberth’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Narberth quiets down on a workday
On a workday 1,979 residents head out to work, 113 work right here, and 1,016 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,500 people are in Narberth on a workday afternoon, 22% fewer than live here.
0.54 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Narberth is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Narberth is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #9 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Both inputs place Narberth 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 2,698 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, 100% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 8.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 91% 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). 4.9% of Narberth households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of Narberth’s commuters take a bus or train.
Narberth places 115th of 4,000 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 3,100 to 6,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Wallace Township PA | 3,759 | $183K | 1.9% | 0.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Edgmont Township PA | 4,706 | $137K | 2.4% | 1.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Pocopson Township PA | 4,480 | $230K | 1.3% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 113 | Scioto Township OH | 4,169 | $159K | 3.6% | 1.1% | 5% | A+ |
| 114 | Eagle Point AL | 3,110 | $152K | 3.2% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| 115 | Narberth PA | 4,479 | $124K | 1.7% | 3.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 116 | Wenham MA | 4,952 | $195K | 3.7% | 2.6% | 14% | A+ |
| 117 | Clayton WI | 5,303 | $134K | 3.2% | 1.4% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,000 | 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 Narberth, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Narberth and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Narberth workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narberth | – | A+ | A+ | 27 min | $123,977 |
| Merion Station | under 1% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Wynnewood | under 1% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Merion Station and Wynnewood: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Narberth’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 Narberth: questions
What is the median household income in Narberth?
$123,977 (±$33,307) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Narberth?
1.7%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Narberth?
27 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 44% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Narberth work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Philadelphia (38%, 7 mi), Lower Merion Township (11%, 2 mi), Upper Merion Township (3%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Narberth walkable?
Narberth is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 17.2 out of 20, and 20% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Narberth without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 100% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Narberth, from the people who make the trip.
More of Narberth
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.