Most of Apple Valley commutes out: there are 0.5 jobs for every working resident
14,467 jobs are based in Apple Valley, against 26,814 working residents. Jobs and income earn Apple Valley C−; getting around on foot earns it B. About one in seven stay in Apple Valley for work; outside it, Victorville is the main destination (12%, 8 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Apple Valley, in brief
Apple Valley workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 41 minutes each way, against 29 across California. Over a year that’s about 314 hours of commuting, 92 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
35% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Apple Valley has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Apple Valley went from 10,652 in 2013 to 14,467 in 2023, +36%. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Why Apple Valley gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Apple Valley is better than 22% of U.S. towns, #699 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Apple Valley’s grade up (ahead of 43% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (7.5%, U.S. 5.2%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Apple Valley could be anywhere from C− to C.
Commuting from Apple Valley: about 41 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Apple Valley workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 24,479 commuters (the 10% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Apple Valley
About 35% 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 kinds of work in Apple Valley
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Apple Valley, 2013 → 2023: 10,652 → 14,467. 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 Apple Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many people are in Apple Valley by day
On a workday 22,734 residents head out to work, 4,080 work right here, and 10,387 people come in from elsewhere.
About 63,000 people are in Apple Valley on a workday afternoon, 16% 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.
The towns that employ Apple Valley’s residents
Where Apple Valley clocks in
12% of workers
6% of workers
6% 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.
Apple Valley is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Apple Valley is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns, #619 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.3% 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 27,111 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 66% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 11% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 75% 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). 4.9% of Apple Valley households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Apple Valley’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Apple Valley compares with U.S. towns of 53,000 to 102,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 553 | Bowling Green KY | 78,505 | $49K | 25.6% | 4.9% | 57% | C− |
| 554 | Hemet CA | 93,649 | $58K | 14.9% | 8.0% | 12% | C− |
| 555 | Apple Valley CA | 75,247 | $70K | 16.6% | 7.5% | 15% | C− |
| 556 | Pharr TX | 80,830 | $53K | 27.6% | 7.2% | 20% | C− |
| 557 | Schenectady NY | 69,471 | $58K | 23.8% | 8.7% | 20% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 587 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Apple Valley, the top three, the last and three more from California.
18% of Apple Valley works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Apple Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Valley | – | C− | B | 41 min | $69,882 |
| Spring Valley Lake | under 2% | B− | B− | 35 min | $82,625 |
| Victorville | 12% | C− | B+ | 40 min | $74,410 |
| Hesperia | 6% | C− | B | 43 min | $72,160 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Victorville. Darker towns draw more of Apple Valley’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 Apple Valley: questions
What is the median household income in Apple Valley?
$69,882 (±$5,843) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Apple Valley?
16.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Apple Valley?
41 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Apple Valley work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Victorville (12%, 8 mi), Hesperia (6%, 11 mi), San Bernardino (6%, 28 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Apple Valley walkable?
Apple Valley is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 9.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Apple Valley without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 11% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Apple Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Apple Valley
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.