Work & commute · Arcata

Work & commute in Arcata, CA

About one in 3 of Arcata’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Eureka (26%), McKinleyville (5%) and Myrtletown (2%). Half commute less than 6 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

36%

2,355 of 6,553 working residents

Typical commute

6 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

18 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

15%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 4,198 Arcata residents head out of town to work, 2,355 work right here, and 6,624 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Arcata.

4,198live here, work elsewhere

2,355live and work here

6,624work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Arcata goes to work

Arcata (in town)right here

36%2,355

Eureka6 mi away

26%1,676

McKinleyville6.1 mi away

5%315

Myrtletown5.9 mi away

2%113

Fortuna19.3 mi away

1%95

Humboldt Hill11.6 mi away

1%76

Sacramento210.5 mi away

1%75

Redding91.7 mi away

1%71

Trinidad14 mi away

1%47

Blue Lake4.4 mi away

1%44

Everywhere elseother towns and states

26%1,686

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Arcata commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

75%

17%

75%Under 10 mi

6%10–24 mi

2%25–50 mi

17%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Arcata is balanced between jobs and homes

1.37jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.37 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Arcata are

8,979 jobs are based in Arcata. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Arcata’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Arcata

8,979 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)16%

Trade, transport & utilities13%

Services (health, schools, offices…)71%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month52%

Jobs Arcata residents hold

6,553 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)13%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)71%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month34%

Over $3,333 a month50%

+1%

Jobs based in Arcata, 2013 → 2023: 8,851 → 8,979. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.