Households in Castaic have higher incomes than those in 91% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Castaic are A− for jobs and income and C for walkability. 5.1% of residents live below the poverty line (California 12.0%). Only 3% work in Castaic itself; outside it, Los Angeles draws the most (32%, 34 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Castaic and work: the main findings
Castaic is a place people come home to
There are 1,565 jobs based in Castaic, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Castaic has about 9,000 people in it, 50% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
One in three of Castaic works in Los Angeles
3,319 working residents, 32%, have their main job in Los Angeles, 34 miles away. That’s 11 times as many as work in Castaic itself. The commute map ↓
Castaic has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Castaic went from 1,104 in 2013 to 1,565 in 2023, +42%. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Castaic
65% of Castaic residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 47% of the jobs based in Castaic pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Where Castaic’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Castaic is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #139 of 847 in California. Household income holds Castaic’s grade up ($129,863, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Castaic could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Who commutes out of Castaic, and who commutes in
On a workday 10,183 residents head out to work, 336 work right here, and 1,229 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,000 people are in Castaic on a workday afternoon, 50% 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.
Where Castaic’s working residents head each day
Where Castaic clocks in
15% 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.
Jobs in Castaic: what the 1,565 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Castaic, 2013 → 2023: 1,104 → 1,565. 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 Castaic’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Castaic: about 31 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Castaic workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,381 commuters (the 16% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Castaic
About 17% 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.
Most of Castaic commutes by car
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.0% 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 8,812 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 2.6% of Castaic households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Castaic’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Castaic ranks: 498th of 1,822 U.S. towns of 13,000 to 24,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 83 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 112 | Coto de Caza CA | 15,190 | $244K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 496 | Westchester IL | 16,300 | $99K | 5.0% | 5.2% | 3% | A− |
| 497 | Raynham MA | 16,579 | $124K | 7.7% | 3.9% | 8% | A− |
| 498 | Castaic CA | 17,999 | $130K | 5.1% | 4.4% | 3% | A− |
| 499 | Grosse Pointe Woods MI | 15,792 | $126K | 4.9% | 5.8% | 6% | A− |
| 500 | Rockland MA | 17,949 | $112K | 6.5% | 4.4% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,822 | 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 Castaic, the top three, the last and three more from California.
The towns around Castaic
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Castaic workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castaic | – | A− | C | 31 min | $129,863 |
| Hasley Canyon | under 1% | A− | D | 40 min | $144,712 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Castaic’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 Castaic: questions
What is the median household income in Castaic?
$129,863 (±$9,873) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Castaic?
5.1%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Castaic?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Castaic work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (32%, 34 mi), Santa Clarita (15%, 9 mi), Burbank (5%, 26 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Castaic walkable?
Castaic is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Castaic without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Castaic, from the people who make the trip.
More of Castaic
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.