Photo: Lights and freedom · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Castro Valley earn more than those in 94% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.4 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.5 in San Francisco. 6.7% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.0% across California. The two grades for Castro Valley 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
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Castro Valley
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Castro Valley is better than 90% of U.S. towns, #69 of 847 in California. Household income is its strongest input ($142,779, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Castro Valley could be anywhere from A− to A+.
The daily commute in and out of Castro Valley
On a workday 27,801 residents head out to work, 1,913 work right here, and 9,137 people come in from elsewhere.
About 46,000 people are in Castro Valley on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.37 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.
12% of working residents work in Oakland
Where Castro Valley clocks in
12% of workers
7% 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.
Services make up most of the work in Castro Valley
11,050 jobs are based in Castro Valley.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Castro Valley, 2013 → 2023: 11,458 → 11,050. 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 Castro Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Castro Valley: about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Castro Valley workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 25,034 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.
Where in the region Castro Valley works
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.
Castro Valley is easy on foot, hard by bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 31,828 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 72% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 33% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 85% 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). 5.5% of Castro Valley households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 7% of Castro Valley’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Castro Valley ranks: 88th of 661 U.S. towns of 46,000 to 88,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 41 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 86 | Hutto TX | 46,048 | $119K | 5.7% | 3.4% | 3% | A |
| 87 | Redwood City CA | 82,178 | $158K | 6.3% | 4.1% | 12% | A |
| 88 | Castro Valley CA | 65,001 | $143K | 6.7% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| 89 | Holly Springs NC | 50,288 | $136K | 4.8% | 3.4% | 8% | A |
| 90 | Libertyville Township IL | 54,621 | $134K | 6.8% | 3.7% | 20% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 661 | Pahrump NV | 47,347 | $62K | 13.7% | 8.5% | 28% | 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 Castro Valley, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Castro Valley and its neighbors: 24% work next door
The biggest share goes to Oakland (12%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Castro Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castro Valley | – | A | A | 33 min | $142,779 |
| Hayward | 7% | B+ | A | 32 min | $113,318 |
| Fairview | under 3% | A− | A | 35 min | $148,667 |
| Ashland | under 3% | B− | A+ | 33 min | $81,702 |
| Oakland | 12% | B | A+ | 30 min | $101,600 |
| San Leandro | 5% | B+ | A+ | 31 min | $101,420 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Castro Valley’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 Castro Valley: questions
What is the median household income in Castro Valley?
$142,779 (±$7,262) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Castro Valley?
6.7%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Castro Valley?
33 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Castro Valley work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Oakland (12%, 10 mi), San Francisco (10%, 20 mi), Hayward (7%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Castro Valley walkable?
Castro Valley is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.8 out of 20, and 9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Castro Valley without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 33% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Castro Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Castro Valley
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.