Work & commute · California

Work & commute in California, CA

Most working residents leave California for work: only 14% work in town. The top destinations are Lancaster (9%), Los Angeles (7%) and Mojave (7%). Half commute less than 59 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

14%

532 of 3,772 working residents

Typical commute

59 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

43 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

11%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 3,240 California residents head out of town to work, 532 work right here, and 925 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in California.

3,240live here, work elsewhere

532live and work here

925work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where California goes to work

California City (in town)right here

14%532

Lancaster35.8 mi away

9%332

Los Angeles83.8 mi away

7%274

Mojave20.3 mi away

7%252

Palmdale40.7 mi away

5%190

Bakersfield67.5 mi away

4%140

Santa Clarita61.9 mi away

2%64

Boron13.9 mi away

2%60

Tehachapi32.6 mi away

2%58

Edwards AFB17.1 mi away

1%55

Everywhere elseother towns and states

48%1,815

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

How far

How far California commutes

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

14%

13%

20%

53%

14%Under 10 mi

13%10–24 mi

20%25–50 mi

53%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

California is a commuter town

0.39jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.39 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in California are

1,457 jobs are based in California. Here is what they are, next to the jobs California’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in California

1,457 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)23%

Trade, transport & utilities14%

Services (health, schools, offices…)63%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month56%

Jobs California residents hold

3,772 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)18%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)61%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month35%

Over $3,333 a month52%

+7%

Jobs based in California, 2013 → 2023: 1,359 → 1,457. 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.