Unemployment in Blythe (11.7%) is higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
3% of workers work from home; California has 17%. For jobs and income Blythe is better than 5% of U.S. towns (D); for walkability it is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (A−). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 4.3 in Riverside.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Blythe
A big share show a job far from home
52% 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 ↓
Commutes from Blythe are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 77 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in Blythe go to people who live here
Of the 4,798 jobs based in Blythe, 45% are held by Blythe residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
Few Blythe workers work from home
Only 3% of workers work from home, against 17% across California. Almost everyone here travels to a job. 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.
Where Blythe’s Jobs & income grade comes from
Household income holds Blythe’s grade up ($56,625, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Blythe could be anywhere from D− to D.
How far Blythe goes to work
About 52% 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.
About 19 minutes each way, quicker than most of California
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Blythe workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,030 commuters (the 3% 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.
In and out of Blythe on a workday
On a workday 3,843 residents head out to work, 2,138 work right here, and 2,660 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 (0.80 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 Blythe: the destinations
Where Blythe clocks in
5% of workers
3% 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.
70% of the jobs in Blythe pay over $3,333 a month
4,798 jobs are based in Blythe.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Blythe, 2013 → 2023: 5,141 → 4,798. 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 Blythe’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In Blythe, walking beats the bus
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 4,168 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 93% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 93% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 52% 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). 9.5% of Blythe households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Blythe’s commuters take a bus or train.
Blythe next to U.S. towns of 11,000 to 20,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 63 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 98 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 133 | Coto de Caza CA | 15,190 | $244K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,951 | Ozark AL | 14,269 | $49K | 28.1% | 9.1% | 25% | D |
| 1,952 | Blytheville AR | 12,227 | $48K | 24.2% | 9.2% | 37% | D |
| 1,953 | Blythe CA | 15,042 | $57K | 18.9% | 11.7% | 36% | D |
| 1,954 | Bay City TX | 17,488 | $54K | 26.0% | 13.3% | 23% | D− |
| 1,955 | Waycross GA | 13,936 | $38K | 32.7% | 11.6% | 33% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,969 | 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 Blythe, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Around Blythe: the bordering towns
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Blythe workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blythe | – | D | A− | 19 min | $56,625 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Ehrenberg. Darker towns draw more of Blythe’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 Blythe: questions
What is the median household income in Blythe?
$56,625 (±$12,452) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Blythe?
18.9%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Blythe?
19 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Blythe work?
36% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ehrenberg (5%, 8 mi), Los Angeles (4%, 219 mi), Riverside (3%, 160 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Blythe walkable?
Blythe is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 11.7 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Blythe without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 93% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Blythe, from the people who make the trip.
More of Blythe
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.