Work & commute · Modesto

Work & commute in Modesto, CA

About one in 3 of Modesto’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Ceres (4%), Stockton (3%) and Turlock (3%). Half commute less than 12 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

31%

25,040 of 80,235 working residents

Typical commute

12 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

30 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 55,195 Modesto residents head out of town to work, 25,040 work right here, and 50,498 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Modesto.

55,195live here, work elsewhere

25,040live and work here

50,498work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Modesto goes to work

Modesto (in town)right here

31%25,040

Ceres3.3 mi away

4%3,391

Stockton28.8 mi away

3%2,393

Turlock12 mi away

3%2,198

Fremont52.3 mi away

2%1,871

San Jose50.4 mi away

2%1,854

Tracy25.3 mi away

2%1,600

Manteca16.2 mi away

2%1,408

Salida6.7 mi away

2%1,291

San Francisco111.1 mi away

2%1,210

Everywhere elseother towns and states

47%37,979

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

How far

How far Modesto commutes

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

48%

12%

31%

48%Under 10 mi

12%10–24 mi

8%25–50 mi

31%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Modesto is balanced between jobs and homes

0.94jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (0.94 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Modesto are

75,538 jobs are based in Modesto. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Modesto’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Modesto

75,538 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)14%

Trade, transport & utilities16%

Services (health, schools, offices…)69%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month28%

Over $3,333 a month59%

Jobs Modesto residents hold

80,235 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)57%

$1,250 a month or less11%

$1,251–$3,333 a month27%

Over $3,333 a month62%

+11%

Jobs based in Modesto, 2013 → 2023: 68,310 → 75,538. 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.