Photo: Justefrain · CC BY-SA 3.0Unemployment in Bell (6.9%) is higher than in 82% of U.S. towns
4% of workers have no commute at all, where California as a whole has 17%. Bell grades C for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 6.1 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 17.5 in Los Angeles.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Bell apart
Bell trades workers with the towns around it
Bell has about as many jobs (10,772) as working residents (11,923), but they are mostly different people: 11,420 residents leave for work each day while 10,269 people come in. Only 5% of the jobs in Bell are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Bell and Los Angeles trade workers both ways
Los Angeles is the top workplace for Bell residents (25%) and also where the most people who work in Bell come from (24% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Few Bell workers work from home
Only 4% of workers work from home, against 17% across California. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
Bell draws workers from far and wide
The 10,772 jobs in Bell are filled from a wide area. Bell’s own residents hold 5% and the ten next-biggest home towns 38%; the other 57% 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.
Where Bell’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bell is better than 34% of U.S. towns, #616 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Bell’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (21.6%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bell could be anywhere from C to B−.
In and out of Bell on a workday
On a workday 11,420 residents head out to work, 503 work right here, and 10,269 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 (0.90 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.
25% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where Bell clocks in
4% of workers
4% 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.
Getting to work from Bell takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bell workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,481 commuters (the 4% 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.
Jobs in Bell: what the 10,772 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bell, 2013 → 2023: 11,720 → 10,772. 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 Bell’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Bell
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.
Bell is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Bell is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #64 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Bell 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 14,052 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 45% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 87% 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). 10.3% of Bell households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Bell’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,368 U.S. towns of 22,000 to 43,000, Bell comes 1,121st on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 92 | Manhattan Beach CA | 33,122 | $204K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 103 | Saratoga CA | 30,418 | $250K | 3.3% | 4.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 120 | Lafayette CA | 25,313 | $228K | 2.9% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,119 | Fitchburg MA | 42,136 | $73K | 15.6% | 6.7% | 17% | C |
| 1,120 | East Lake-Orient Park FL | 29,213 | $57K | 17.8% | 6.0% | 11% | C |
| 1,121 | Bell CA | 31,625 | $61K | 21.6% | 6.9% | 4% | C |
| 1,122 | Bangor ME | 32,518 | $60K | 17.9% | 4.1% | 53% | C |
| 1,123 | Panama City FL | 37,806 | $62K | 17.6% | 4.5% | 39% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 1,368 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 Bell, the top three, the last and three more from California.
10% of Bell works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bell workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell | – | C | A+ | 30 min | $61,020 |
| Cudahy | under 2% | C | A | 31 min | $56,615 |
| Commerce | 4% | B+ | A+ | 27 min | $77,064 |
| Bell Gardens | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 28 min | $62,298 |
| Huntington Park | 2% | C | A+ | 32 min | $59,996 |
| Vernon | 4% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Maywood | under 2% | C | A+ | 31 min | $60,943 |
Same-state neighbors only. Vernon: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Commerce. Darker towns draw more of Bell’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 Bell: questions
What is the median household income in Bell?
$61,020 (±$4,687) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bell?
21.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bell?
30 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bell work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (25%, 14 mi), Commerce (4%, 2 mi), Vernon (4%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bell walkable?
Bell is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.6 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bell without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 45% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bell, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bell
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.