Photo: Allie_Caulfield · CC BY 2.0Household incomes in Arroyo Grande top those of 79% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 17.5 in Los Angeles. 4.8% of residents are in poverty, next to 12.0% for California as a whole. The two grades for Arroyo Grande are A− for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Arroyo Grande: the figures worth knowing
The figures behind Arroyo Grande’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Arroyo Grande is better than 83% of U.S. towns, #150 of 847 in California. The poverty rate is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 57% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Arroyo Grande could be anywhere from B to A.
About 24 minutes each way for Arroyo Grande’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Arroyo Grande workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,076 commuters (the 14% 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 daily commute in and out of Arroyo Grande
On a workday 6,205 residents head out to work, 922 work right here, and 5,020 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 (0.83 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.
18% of working residents work in San Luis Obispo
Where Arroyo Grande clocks in
18% 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.
What work there is in Arroyo Grande: 5,942 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Arroyo Grande, 2013 → 2023: 5,207 → 5,942. 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 Arroyo Grande’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where in the region Arroyo Grande works
About 26% 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.
Arroyo Grande is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Arroyo Grande is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns, #231 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Arroyo Grande near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 8,198 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 73% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, <1% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 76% 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). 4.3% of Arroyo Grande households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Arroyo Grande’s commuters take a bus or train.
522nd of 1,822: where Arroyo Grande ranks among U.S. towns of 13,000 to 24,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 83 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 112 | Coto de Caza CA | 15,190 | $244K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 520 | Mill Creek WA | 20,902 | $124K | 6.4% | 4.5% | 3% | A− |
| 521 | Madison CT | 17,734 | $167K | 3.6% | 5.3% | 14% | A− |
| 522 | Arroyo Grande CA | 18,123 | $103K | 4.8% | 2.9% | 13% | A− |
| 523 | Newtown Township PA | 19,806 | $148K | 5.5% | 6.0% | 9% | A− |
| 524 | Burke Centre VA | 17,037 | $164K | 5.2% | 6.6% | 2% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,822 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Arroyo Grande, the top three, the last and three more from California.
The towns next door employ 12% of Arroyo Grande
The biggest share goes to Pismo Beach (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Arroyo Grande workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Grande | – | A− | A | 24 min | $102,553 |
| Grover Beach | 5% | B− | A | 20 min | $86,458 |
| Oceano | 1% | C+ | A− | 21 min | $71,598 |
| Pismo Beach | 6% | B+ | A− | 23 min | $118,072 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Arroyo Grande’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 Arroyo Grande: questions
What is the median household income in Arroyo Grande?
$102,553 (±$16,494) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Arroyo Grande?
4.8%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Arroyo Grande?
24 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Arroyo Grande work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Luis Obispo (18%, 11 mi), Santa Maria (9%, 15 mi), Pismo Beach (6%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Arroyo Grande walkable?
Arroyo Grande is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.6 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Arroyo Grande without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. <1% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Arroyo Grande, from the people who make the trip.
More of Arroyo Grande
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.