Alum Rock’s household incomes are higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
6.2% of residents are in poverty (California 12.0%). Alum Rock grades A for jobs and income and A− for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.0 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 7.6 in San Jose.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Alum Rock, in brief
Alum Rock and San Jose trade workers both ways
San Jose is the top workplace for Alum Rock residents (39%) and also where the most people who work in Alum Rock come from (50% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Alum Rock is a place people come home to
There are 918 jobs based in Alum Rock, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Alum Rock has about 6,500 people in it, 38% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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: Alum Rock’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Alum Rock is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #110 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Alum Rock’s grade up; unemployment pulls it down (4.5%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Alum Rock could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
39% of working residents work in San Jose
Where Alum Rock clocks in
39% of workers
7% 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.
The daily flow of workers through Alum Rock
On a workday 4,831 residents head out to work, 69 work right here, and 849 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,500 people are in Alum Rock on a workday afternoon, 38% fewer than live here.
0.19 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.
What the 918 jobs in Alum Rock are
918 jobs are based in Alum Rock.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alum Rock, 2013 → 2023: 866 → 918. 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 Alum Rock’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Alum Rock: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alum Rock workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,786 commuters (the 8% 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 distance from Alum Rock to work
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.
In Alum Rock, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Alum Rock is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns, #395 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.7% of 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 5,186 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 87% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 14% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 84% 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). 2.3% of Alum Rock households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Alum Rock’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000, Alum Rock ranks 606th of 2,878 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Piedmont CA | 10,642 | $250K | 4.3% | 1.5% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Gold River CA | 7,924 | $175K | 2.9% | 2.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 89 | Sierra Madre CA | 10,620 | $144K | 4.6% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 604 | Kinnelon NJ | 10,138 | $187K | 2.0% | 8.1% | 4% | A |
| 605 | Thornapple Township MI | 9,692 | $91K | 5.6% | 1.9% | 12% | A |
| 606 | Alum Rock CA | 10,440 | $127K | 6.2% | 4.5% | 1% | A |
| 607 | Savage MD | 8,239 | $117K | 5.6% | 4.8% | 1% | A |
| 608 | Westphalia MD | 13,228 | $164K | 6.1% | 5.2% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | 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 Alum Rock, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Next door is work for 39% of Alum Rock
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alum Rock workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alum Rock | – | A | A− | 28 min | $126,705 |
| San Jose | 39% | A− | A | 27 min | $146,427 |
| East Foothills | under 2% | A | B+ | 32 min | $199,375 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to San Jose. Darker towns draw more of Alum Rock’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 Alum Rock: questions
What is the median household income in Alum Rock?
$126,705 (±$23,062) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alum Rock?
6.2%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alum Rock?
28 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alum Rock work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Jose (39%, 5 mi), Santa Clara (7%, 8 mi), Fremont (5%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Alum Rock walkable?
Alum Rock is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.8 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Alum Rock without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 14% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alum Rock, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alum Rock
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.