Unemployment in Carmichael (7.3%) is higher than in 84% of U.S. towns
Only 7% work in Carmichael; the top destination outside it is Sacramento (25%, 9 miles). Carmichael grades B− for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 3.0 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 7.8 in Sacramento.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Carmichael at work: what stands out
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Carmichael
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Carmichael is better than 52% of U.S. towns, #482 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Carmichael’s grade up (ahead of 91% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Carmichael could be anywhere from B− to B.
Out of Carmichael to work: where people go
Where Carmichael clocks in
25% 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.
The workday shuffle in and out of Carmichael
On a workday 28,670 residents head out to work, 2,134 work right here, and 16,767 people come in from elsewhere.
About 65,000 people are in Carmichael on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.61 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.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Carmichael
18,901 jobs are based in Carmichael.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Carmichael, 2013 → 2023: 18,909 → 18,901. 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 Carmichael’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Carmichael: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Carmichael workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 27,541 commuters (the 21% 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.
Carmichael’s commute, mile by mile
About 22% 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.
Good to walk, short on transit: Carmichael
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Carmichael is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns, #251 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 4.4% 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 34,729 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, 22% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 75% 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). 7.1% of Carmichael households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Carmichael’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Carmichael ranks: 375th of 572 U.S. towns of 54,000 to 104,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 373 | St. Cloud FL | 74,960 | $83K | 10.1% | 5.9% | 8% | B− |
| 374 | Rich Township IL | 74,003 | $84K | 10.6% | 9.8% | 10% | B− |
| 375 | Carmichael CA | 76,948 | $86K | 12.6% | 7.3% | 7% | B− |
| 376 | Hempstead NY | 59,819 | $90K | 14.4% | 9.2% | 8% | B− |
| 377 | Perris CA | 83,237 | $89K | 10.7% | 7.9% | 9% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 572 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Carmichael, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Next door is work for 14% of Carmichael
The biggest share goes to Rancho Cordova (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Carmichael workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmichael | – | B− | A | 27 min | $85,914 |
| Citrus Heights | 2% | B | A | 28 min | $82,314 |
| North Highlands | 2% | C+ | A− | 31 min | $65,495 |
| Rancho Cordova | 5% | B− | A | 27 min | $89,585 |
| Arden-Arcade | 5% | C+ | A | 26 min | $77,321 |
| La Riviera | under 2% | B+ | A | 26 min | $97,975 |
| Foothill Farms | under 2% | C+ | A− | 28 min | $68,260 |
| Fair Oaks | under 2% | B+ | A− | 30 min | $116,975 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Carmichael’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 Carmichael: questions
What is the median household income in Carmichael?
$85,914 (±$3,743) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Carmichael?
12.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Carmichael?
27 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Carmichael work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sacramento (25%, 9 mi), Roseville (6%, 10 mi), Rancho Cordova (5%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Carmichael walkable?
Carmichael is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.9 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Carmichael without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 22% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Carmichael, from the people who make the trip.
More of Carmichael
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.