Photo: Esun · CC BY 2.5Households in Arcadia earn more than those in 85% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.3 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 17.5 in Los Angeles. Below the poverty line: 8.6% of residents, next to 12.0% across California. Jobs and income earn Arcadia A−; getting around on foot earns it A.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Arcadia stands out on work
Arcadia trades workers with the towns around it
Arcadia has about as many jobs (24,911) as working residents (21,718), but they are mostly different people: 19,442 residents leave for work each day while 22,635 people come in. Only 9% of the jobs in Arcadia are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Arcadia’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Arcadia is Los Angeles, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 22% of working residents (4,698) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Arcadia draws workers from far and wide
The 24,911 jobs in Arcadia are filled from a wide area. Arcadia’s own residents hold 9% and the ten next-biggest home towns 33%; the other 58% come from many towns beyond those. 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.
The four measures behind Arcadia’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Arcadia is better than 76% of U.S. towns, #220 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Arcadia’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.7%, 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, Arcadia could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Arcadia on a workday afternoon
On a workday 19,442 residents head out to work, 2,276 work right here, and 22,635 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.15 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
How many miles Arcadia commutes
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.
22% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where Arcadia clocks in
9% of workers
2% 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.
Inside Arcadia’s 24,911 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Arcadia, 2013 → 2023: 27,227 → 24,911. 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 Arcadia’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 29 minutes each way, about the CA average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Arcadia workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 18,480 commuters (the 23% 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.
Arcadia is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Arcadia is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns, #293 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.8% 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 23,916 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 94% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 34% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 85% 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). 5.0% of Arcadia households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Arcadia’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Arcadia ranks: 330th of 830 U.S. towns of 38,000 to 73,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 50 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 328 | Peabody MA | 55,953 | $97K | 7.7% | 4.9% | 13% | A− |
| 329 | Beverly MA | 43,363 | $106K | 9.4% | 4.4% | 19% | A− |
| 330 | Arcadia CA | 54,117 | $114K | 8.6% | 5.7% | 10% | A− |
| 331 | Plainfield IN | 38,574 | $87K | 8.1% | 3.6% | 17% | A− |
| 332 | Dundee Township IL | 64,737 | $98K | 7.9% | 4.8% | 14% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 830 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Arcadia, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Around Arcadia: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Monrovia (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Arcadia workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcadia | – | A− | A | 29 min | $113,516 |
| Monrovia | 2% | B+ | A | 30 min | $96,021 |
| Mayflower Village | under 2% | A− | A | 31 min | $105,242 |
| Temple City | under 2% | B+ | A | 31 min | $104,425 |
| East San Gabriel | under 2% | B+ | A | 30 min | $108,677 |
| Sierra Madre | under 2% | A+ | A | 28 min | $143,547 |
| El Monte | 2% | C+ | A | 28 min | $68,030 |
| North El Monte | under 2% | A− | A− | 27 min | $99,447 |
| Irwindale | under 2% | A+ | A | 27 min | $114,167 |
| East Pasadena | under 2% | A− | A+ | 26 min | $109,136 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Arcadia’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 Arcadia: questions
What is the median household income in Arcadia?
$113,516 (±$10,005) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Arcadia?
8.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Arcadia?
29 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Arcadia work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (22%, 23 mi), Pasadena (9%, 6 mi), Alhambra (2%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Arcadia walkable?
Arcadia is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.2 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Arcadia without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 34% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Arcadia, from the people who make the trip.
More of Arcadia
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.