Photo: Chevy111 · CC BY-SA 4.0Acton has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Household incomes here are higher than in 85% of U.S. towns. Employers in Acton report 1,301 jobs, and 3,450 of its residents work somewhere. Acton grades B for jobs and income and C+ for walkability.
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 Acton
Acton workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 47 minutes each way, against 29 across California. Over a year that’s about 360 hours of commuting, 138 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Acton and Los Angeles trade workers both ways
Los Angeles is the top workplace for Acton residents (29%) and also where the most people who work in Acton come from (16% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
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.
Income, poverty and work: Acton’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Acton is better than 62% of U.S. towns, #390 of 847 in California. Household income holds Acton’s grade up ($113,000, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate pulls it down (13.1%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on unemployment.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Acton could be anywhere from C+ to A.
From Acton, about 47 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 15.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Acton workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,722 commuters (the 20% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
29% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where Acton clocks in
9% 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 daily flow of workers through Acton
On a workday 3,290 residents head out to work, 160 work right here, and 1,141 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,700 people are in Acton on a workday afternoon, 27% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Making and building: 34% of jobs based in Acton
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Acton, 2013 → 2023: 1,311 → 1,301. 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 Acton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Near or far: the trip to work from Acton
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 Acton gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Acton is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns, #754 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Acton 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 3,407 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 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 46% 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). 1.3% of Acton households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Acton’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,403rd of 3,026: where Acton ranks among U.S. towns of 5,500 to 10,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 63 | Las Flores CA | 5,513 | $212K | 4.8% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 70 | Gold River CA | 7,924 | $175K | 2.9% | 2.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 197 | Lucas Valley-Marinwood CA | 6,473 | $201K | 4.2% | 2.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,401 | Union OH | 7,177 | $73K | 12.6% | 2.8% | 3% | B |
| 1,402 | Diamondhead MS | 9,441 | $87K | 7.0% | 4.2% | 8% | B |
| 1,403 | Acton CA | 7,880 | $113K | 13.1% | 3.3% | 5% | B |
| 1,404 | Half Moon NC | 7,378 | $69K | 7.9% | 1.3% | 1% | B |
| 1,405 | Miramar Beach FL | 8,902 | $103K | 4.5% | 5.7% | 30% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 3,026 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Acton, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Around Acton: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Palmdale (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Acton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acton | – | B | C+ | 47 min | $113,000 |
| Agua Dulce | under 1% | B− | B | 35 min | $146,107 |
| Palmdale | 5% | C | B | 40 min | $81,770 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Acton’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 Acton: questions
What is the median household income in Acton?
$113,000 (±$20,161) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Acton?
13.1%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Acton?
47 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Acton work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (29%, 35 mi), Santa Clarita (9%, 19 mi), Burbank (7%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Acton walkable?
Acton is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Acton without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Acton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Acton
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.