Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0More people are out of work in Chowchilla (10.6%) than in 95% of U.S. towns
8% of workers work from home, next to 17% for California as a whole. Chowchilla grades C− for jobs and income and B− for walkability. About one in five stay in Chowchilla for work; outside it, Fresno is the main destination (9%, 34 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Chowchilla apart
Chowchilla trades workers with the towns around it
Chowchilla has about as many jobs (5,614) as working residents (5,592), but they are mostly different people: 4,432 residents leave for work each day while 4,454 people come in. Only 21% of the jobs in Chowchilla are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Chowchilla’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Chowchilla is Fresno, 34 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (528) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
31% 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 ↓
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 Chowchilla’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chowchilla is better than 16% of U.S. towns, #746 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Chowchilla’s grade up (ahead of 45% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Chowchilla could be anywhere from D to C.
The workday shuffle in and out of Chowchilla
On a workday 4,432 residents head out to work, 1,160 work right here, and 4,454 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 (1.00 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.
How far Chowchilla goes to work
About 31% 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.
The places Chowchilla commutes to
Where Chowchilla clocks in
9% of workers
7% 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.
67% of the jobs in Chowchilla pay over $3,333 a month
5,614 jobs are based in Chowchilla.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chowchilla, 2013 → 2023: 4,512 → 5,614. 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 Chowchilla’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Chowchilla spends getting to work: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chowchilla workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,824 commuters (the 8% 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.
Getting around Chowchilla: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Chowchilla is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns, #698 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.1% 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 5,262 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 47% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 4% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 47% 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). 9.9% of Chowchilla households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Chowchilla’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Chowchilla compares with U.S. towns of 13,000 to 25,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 89 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 121 | Coto de Caza CA | 15,190 | $244K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,774 | Sault Ste. Marie MI | 13,083 | $55K | 17.8% | 4.9% | 60% | C− |
| 1,775 | Centreville Township IL | 19,067 | $35K | 32.6% | 9.8% | 12% | C− |
| 1,776 | Chowchilla CA | 18,730 | $67K | 19.6% | 10.6% | 21% | C− |
| 1,777 | Rock Island Township IL | 15,632 | $41K | 32.9% | 7.4% | 12% | C− |
| 1,778 | Canton IL | 13,297 | $53K | 15.2% | 7.2% | 34% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,915 | 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 Chowchilla, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Next door to Chowchilla
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chowchilla workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chowchilla | – | C− | B− | 26 min | $66,514 |
| Fairmead | under 1% | D | D | 26 min | $46,680 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Chowchilla’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 Chowchilla: questions
What is the median household income in Chowchilla?
$66,514 (±$6,947) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chowchilla?
19.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chowchilla?
26 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chowchilla work?
21% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Fresno (9%, 34 mi), Merced (7%, 18 mi), Madera (7%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Chowchilla walkable?
Chowchilla is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.1 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chowchilla without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 4% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chowchilla, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chowchilla
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.