Photo: BrokenSphere · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Colma have higher incomes than those in 95% of U.S. towns
6.7% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.0% across California. Jobs and income earn Colma A+; getting around on foot earns it A+. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.5 in San Francisco.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Colma apart
Colma fills up on a workday
Colma has 4,174 jobs, 6.1 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 4,900 people are in town, 4 times the 1,400 who live here. Day and night ↓
Colma and San Francisco trade workers both ways
San Francisco is the top workplace for Colma residents (33%) and also where the most people who work in Colma come from (18% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
59% of the jobs in Colma are in trade, transport and utilities, against 18% of the jobs its residents hold. 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; with 687 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Colma
On income, poverty and job access, Colma is better than 97% of U.S. towns. Household income is its strongest input ($148,295, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
Unemployment (4.0%) is left out: Colma’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Colma could be anywhere from A to A+.
Colma on a workday afternoon
On a workday 658 residents head out to work, 29 work right here, and 4,145 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,900 people are in Colma on a workday afternoon, 252% more than live here.
6.1 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.
Who travels to work in Colma, and from where
Where Colma clocks in
7% 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.
Inside Colma’s 4,174 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Colma, 2013 → 2023: 3,833 → 4,174. 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 Colma’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Colma: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Colma workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 658 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.
How far Colma’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.
In Colma, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Colma is among the most walkable U.S. towns. Both inputs place Colma near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 837 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 94% 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 7.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 1.7% of Colma households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 7% of Colma’s commuters take a bus or train.
Colma next to U.S. towns of 1,000 to 1,900: 118th of 5,877 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Castle Hill CA | 1,026 | $250K | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Ladera CA | 1,297 | $236K | 1.5% | 10.7% | 1% | A+ |
| 19 | Acalanes Ridge CA | 1,006 | $181K | 1.5% | 7.7% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 116 | Elizabeth Township OH | 1,719 | $125K | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| 117 | Lake Mary Jane FL | 1,792 | $146K | 0.0% | 3.1% | <1% | A+ |
| 118 | Colma CA | 1,385 | $148K | 6.7% | 4.0% | 4% | A+ |
| 119 | Delaware Township KS | 1,121 | $119K | 2.4% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| 120 | Avilla AR | 1,833 | $106K | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,877 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 0% | 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 Colma, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Work next door: 13% of Colma’s workers
The biggest share goes to South San Francisco (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Colma workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colma | – | A+ | A+ | 28 min | $148,295 |
| Daly City | 6% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $123,547 |
| South San Francisco | 7% | A | A | 26 min | $136,578 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Colma’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 Colma: questions
What is the median household income in Colma?
$148,295 (±$23,087) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Colma?
6.7%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Colma?
28 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Colma work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (33%, 7 mi), South San Francisco (7%, 4 mi), Daly City (6%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Colma walkable?
Colma is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.8 out of 20, and 15% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Colma without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Colma, from the people who make the trip.
More of Colma
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.