Alta has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
25 jobs are based in Alta, against 215 working residents. Hardly any work in Alta; the top destination outside it is Sacramento (12%, 58 miles). Working from home is the commute for 38% of workers, where California as a whole has 17%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Alta at work: what stands out
Alta’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Alta is Sacramento, 58 miles away as the crow flies. 12% of working residents (25) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Alta is a place people come home to
There are 25 jobs based in Alta, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Alta has about 470 people in it, 29% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Alta 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 ↓
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; with 215 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The commute from Alta, by distance
About 45% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
The daily flow of workers through Alta
On a workday 213 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 23 people come in from elsewhere.
About 470 people are in Alta on a workday afternoon, 29% 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.
A commute of about 47 minutes in Alta
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 15 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alta workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 203 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.
Out of Alta to work: where people go
Where Alta clocks in
12% of workers
5% of workers
5% 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.
Most jobs in Alta are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alta, 2013 → 2023: 25 → 25. 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 Alta’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns around Alta
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alta workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alta | – | — | — | 47 min | $96,792 |
| Dutch Flat | under 2% | — | — | 70 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Dutch Flat: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Alta’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 Alta: questions
What is the median household income in Alta?
$96,792 (±$11,097) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alta?
7.3%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alta?
47 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 38% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alta work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sacramento (12%, 58 mi), Grass Valley (5%, 14 mi), Auburn (5%, 27 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Alta without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alta, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alta
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.