Photo: Jonnyboyca at English Wikipedia · Public domainHouseholds in Brea have higher incomes than those in 92% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 17.5 in Los Angeles. 6.6% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.0% across California. The two grades for Brea 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
Getting to work from Brea, in brief
Brea is where the jobs are
Brea has 43,605 jobs, 2.0 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 69,000 people are in town, 46% more than the 47,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Brea draws workers from far and wide
The 43,605 jobs in Brea are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 28%; the other 68% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
No single place dominates Brea’s commute
The biggest draw, Anaheim, gets only 8% of working residents, and 52% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Brea residents fan out across the region. 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.
What’s behind Brea’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Brea is better than 85% of U.S. towns, #123 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Brea’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Brea could be anywhere from A− to A.
How a workday changes Brea
On a workday 19,958 residents head out to work, 1,905 work right here, and 41,700 people come in from elsewhere.
About 69,000 people are in Brea on a workday afternoon, 46% more than live here.
2.0 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Where Brea’s workers come from
Where Brea clocks in
8% 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.
66% of the jobs in Brea pay over $3,333 a month
43,605 jobs are based in Brea.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Brea, 2013 → 2023: 47,868 → 43,605. 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 Brea’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 31 minutes to work from Brea
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Brea workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 19,351 commuters (the 15% 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.
How far Brea’s workers travel
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.
Good to walk, short on transit: Brea
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Brea is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns, #384 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.0% 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 22,886 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 69% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 14% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 72% 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). 4.5% of Brea households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Brea’s commuters take a bus or train.
Brea next to U.S. towns of 33,000 to 64,000: 241st of 941 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 46 | Manhattan Beach CA | 33,122 | $204K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 90 | Newark CA | 47,895 | $169K | 4.3% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 239 | Farmers Branch TX | 38,320 | $91K | 11.4% | 1.9% | 8% | A |
| 240 | Derry NH | 33,990 | $109K | 4.0% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| 241 | Brea CA | 47,260 | $131K | 6.6% | 5.1% | 9% | A |
| 242 | East Honolulu HI | 51,360 | $160K | 5.3% | 4.5% | 6% | A |
| 243 | Roy UT | 38,794 | $91K | 5.0% | 2.8% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 941 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Brea, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Work in the towns next to Brea
The biggest share goes to Fullerton (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Brea workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brea | – | A | A− | 31 min | $131,129 |
| Yorba Linda | under 2% | A | B+ | 31 min | $157,582 |
| Fullerton | 6% | B+ | A | 31 min | $104,286 |
| La Habra | 2% | B | A | 31 min | $100,106 |
| Placentia | under 2% | A− | A− | 27 min | $115,929 |
| Rowland Heights | under 2% | B | A | 33 min | $85,617 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Brea’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 Brea: questions
What is the median household income in Brea?
$131,129 (±$11,525) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Brea?
6.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Brea?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Brea work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Anaheim (8%, 8 mi), Los Angeles (7%, 32 mi), Fullerton (6%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Brea walkable?
Brea is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.5 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Brea without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 14% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Brea, from the people who make the trip.
More of Brea
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.