Photo: Magi Media (originally uploaded on en.wikipedia.org by Magi Media; transferred to Commons by JaumeBG). · Public domainUnemployment in Big Bear City (9.8%) is higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 4.3 in Riverside. For jobs and income Big Bear City is better than 10% of U.S. towns (D); for walkability it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (A). The average commute takes 25 minutes each way, where California has 29 and 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 Big Bear City
A big share show a job far from home
54% 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 ↓
Most jobs in Big Bear City go to people who live here
Of the 992 jobs based in Big Bear City, 49% are held by Big Bear City residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
Big Bear City is a place people come home to
There are 992 jobs based in Big Bear City, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Big Bear City has about 5,600 people in it, 51% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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 Big Bear City’s grade
Household income holds Big Bear City’s grade up ($71,511, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 4% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Big Bear City could be anywhere from D− to C−.
The distance from Big Bear City to work
About 54% 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 workday shuffle in and out of Big Bear City
On a workday 6,345 residents head out to work, 487 work right here, and 505 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,600 people are in Big Bear City on a workday afternoon, 51% fewer than live here.
0.15 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
20% of working residents work in Big Bear Lake
Where Big Bear City clocks in
20% 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.
What work there is in Big Bear City: 992 jobs
992 jobs are based in Big Bear City.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Big Bear City, 2013 → 2023: 742 → 992. 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 Big Bear City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Big Bear City spends getting to work: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Big Bear City workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,797 commuters (the 19% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Big Bear City
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,667 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 81% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 51% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 57% 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). 3.3% of Big Bear City households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Big Bear City’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where Big Bear City sits among U.S. towns of 8,000 to 15,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Piedmont CA | 10,642 | $250K | 4.3% | 1.5% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 81 | Sierra Madre CA | 10,620 | $144K | 4.6% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 126 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,370 | Grass Valley CA | 14,035 | $52K | 22.1% | 7.4% | 28% | D |
| 2,371 | Thomaston GA | 9,852 | $39K | 28.1% | 4.5% | 21% | D |
| 2,372 | Big Bear City CA | 11,431 | $72K | 16.1% | 9.8% | 7% | D |
| 2,373 | Sebring FL | 12,059 | $44K | 24.1% | 5.9% | 20% | D |
| 2,374 | Cairo GA | 10,150 | $41K | 28.8% | 5.2% | 28% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 2,507 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | 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 Big Bear City, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Work next door: 20% of Big Bear City’s workers
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Big Bear City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bear City | – | D | A | 25 min | $71,511 |
| Big Bear Lake | 20% | C+ | A+ | 25 min | $76,250 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Big Bear Lake. Darker towns draw more of Big Bear City’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 Big Bear City: questions
What is the median household income in Big Bear City?
$71,511 (±$7,362) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Big Bear City?
16.1%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Big Bear City?
25 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Big Bear City work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Big Bear Lake (20%, 6 mi), Los Angeles (11%, 94 mi), San Bernardino (2%, 30 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Big Bear City walkable?
Big Bear City is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.2 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Big Bear City without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 51% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Big Bear City, from the people who make the trip.
More of Big Bear City
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.