Alto’s household incomes are higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
26.0% of residents are in poverty, where California as a whole has 12.0%. For jobs and income Alto is better than 66% of U.S. towns (B+); for walkability it is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns (B−). Hardly any work in Alto; the top destination outside it is San Francisco (30%, 10 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Alto stands out on work
Alto is a place people come home to
There are 54 jobs based in Alto, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Alto are quick
The average trip to work takes 14 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 115 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
30% of Alto works in San Francisco
82 working residents, 30%, have their main job in San Francisco, 11 miles away. That’s far more as work in Alto itself. 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; with 271 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Alto
Household income holds Alto’s grade up ($129,191, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate pulls it down. It also does well on job access by car.
Unemployment (3.9%) is left out: Alto’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Alto could be anywhere from C− to A+.
Alto quiets down on a workday
On a workday 270 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 53 people come in from elsewhere.
About 810 people are in Alto on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
0.20 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.
Alto’s commute takes about 14 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alto workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 524 commuters (the 17% 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.
Where people from Alto work
Where Alto clocks in
10% of workers
8% 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.
Goods jobs make up 28% of work in Alto
54 jobs are based in Alto.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alto, 2013 → 2023: 74 → 54. 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 Alto’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from Alto
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 Alto gets around
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 7.1% across California.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 633 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, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 16.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 97% 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). 0.0% of Alto households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Alto’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 700 to 1,400, Alto ranks 597th of 3,133 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Castle Hill CA | 1,026 | $250K | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Ladera CA | 1,297 | $236K | 1.5% | 10.7% | 1% | A+ |
| 13 | Acalanes Ridge CA | 1,006 | $181K | 1.5% | 7.7% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 595 | Wilson Township MN | 1,140 | $99K | 6.7% | 1.4% | 1% | B+ |
| 596 | Montpelier WI | 1,375 | $86K | 7.5% | 3.2% | 2% | B+ |
| 597 | Alto CA | 1,024 | $129K | 26.0% | 3.9% | <1% | B+ |
| 598 | Richland Township IN | 1,074 | $87K | 3.1% | 2.2% | 1% | B+ |
| 599 | Grabill IN | 1,168 | $67K | 5.6% | 2.5% | 5% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,133 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 0% | 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 Alto, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Alto and its neighbors: 10% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alto workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alto | – | B+ | B− | 14 min | $129,191 |
| Mill Valley | 10% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $206,212 |
| Strawberry | under 2% | A | A | 30 min | $157,661 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Mill Valley. Darker towns draw more of Alto’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 Alto: questions
What is the median household income in Alto?
$129,191 (±$123,241) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alto?
26.0%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alto?
14 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alto work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (30%, 10 mi), Mill Valley (10%, 1 mi), San Rafael (8%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Alto walkable?
Alto is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 15.2 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Alto without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alto, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alto
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.