Jobs and the daily commute in Ballard
Only 2% stay in Ballard for work; outside it, Santa Barbara is the main destination (9%, 28 miles). For 35% of workers, the job is at home, where California as a whole has 17%. Commuters spend 39 minutes getting to work on average; the California average is 29, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Ballard
Ballard’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Ballard is Santa Barbara, 28 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (22) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A lot of Ballard works from home
35% of Ballard workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Ballard workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 39 minutes each way, against 29 across California. Over a year that’s about 299 hours of commuting, 77 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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 235 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Near or far: the trip to work from Ballard
About 34% 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 trip to work from Ballard: about 39 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ballard workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 203 commuters (the 35% 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 workday shuffle in and out of Ballard
On a workday 231 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 249 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 (1.08 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.
Commuting out of Ballard: the destinations
Where Ballard clocks in
9% of workers
9% of workers
7% 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.
59% of the jobs in Ballard make or build things
253 jobs are based in Ballard.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ballard, 2013 → 2023: 222 → 253. 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 Ballard’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Bordering towns draw 13% of Ballard’s workers
The biggest share goes to Los Olivos (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ballard workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballard | – | — | — | 39 min | $140,833 |
| Los Olivos | 7% | A− | A+ | 20 min | $143,229 |
| Santa Ynez | 6% | B+ | B+ | 27 min | $110,781 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ballard’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 Ballard: questions
What is the median household income in Ballard?
$140,833 (±$75,686) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ballard?
15.2%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ballard?
39 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 35% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ballard work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Santa Barbara (9%, 28 mi), Solvang (9%, 4 mi), Los Olivos (7%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Ballard without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ballard, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ballard
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.