Peterson House · Photo: Sanfranman59 · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Albany are higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
Home is the office for 38% of workers, next to 17% for California as a whole. The poverty rate is 6.8%, where California as a whole has 12.0%. Albany grades A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Albany at work: what stands out
Much of Albany works one town over
48% of working residents work in a town that borders Albany: San Francisco (26%), Berkeley (17%) and Richmond (4%). Next door ↓
A lot of Albany works from home
38% of Albany workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Albany’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 31 minutes, longer than the California average of 29. Time on the road ↓
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 Albany
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Albany is better than 93% of U.S. towns, #38 of 847 in California. Household income is its strongest input ($144,107, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Albany could be anywhere from A to A+.
About 31 minutes each way, longer than most of California
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Albany workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,173 commuters (the 38% 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.
The daily commute in and out of Albany
On a workday 7,233 residents head out to work, 451 work right here, and 3,377 people come in from elsewhere.
About 15,000 people are in Albany on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.50 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.
26% of working residents work in San Francisco
Where Albany clocks in
17% of workers
12% 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.
Jobs in Albany: what the 3,828 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Albany, 2013 → 2023: 3,830 → 3,828. 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 Albany’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Albany
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.
Albany is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Albany is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #5 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Albany 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 9,951 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, 52% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 22.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 98% 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). 8.9% of Albany households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 19% of Albany’s commuters take a bus or train.
Albany next to U.S. towns of 13,000 to 26,000: 254th of 2,023 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 99 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 134 | Coto de Caza CA | 15,190 | $244K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 252 | Canton MA | 25,165 | $143K | 5.2% | 3.8% | 10% | A |
| 253 | Goffstown NH | 18,607 | $114K | 6.4% | 0.8% | 8% | A |
| 254 | Albany CA | 19,195 | $144K | 6.8% | 3.1% | 6% | A |
| 255 | Prairie Village KS | 23,008 | $114K | 5.7% | 3.0% | 6% | A |
| 256 | Hopatcong NJ | 14,824 | $116K | 4.2% | 2.9% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,023 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Albany, the top three, the last and three more from California.
48% of Albany works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to San Francisco (26%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Albany workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | – | A | A+ | 31 min | $144,107 |
| Berkeley | 17% | A | A+ | 28 min | $108,092 |
| El Cerrito | 1% | A− | A+ | 33 min | $127,876 |
| Richmond | 4% | B− | A+ | 34 min | $95,391 |
| Kensington | under 2% | A− | A+ | 33 min | $237,130 |
| San Francisco | 26% | B+ | A+ | 30 min | $140,970 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Albany’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 Albany: questions
What is the median household income in Albany?
$144,107 (±$12,208) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Albany?
6.8%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Albany?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 38% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Albany work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (26%, 10 mi), Berkeley (17%, 2 mi), Oakland (12%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Albany walkable?
Albany is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.8 out of 20, and 35% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Albany without a car?
19% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 52% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Albany, from the people who make the trip.
More of Albany
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.