Photo: pelle68 · CC BY-SA 3.0Costa Mesa’s household incomes are higher than in 84% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Costa Mesa are A− for jobs and income and A for walkability. Below the poverty line: 9.1% of residents, next to 12.0% for California as a whole. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.1 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 17.5 in Los Angeles.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Costa Mesa
A lot of Costa Mesa works one town over
35% of working residents work in a town that borders Costa Mesa: Irvine (14%), Newport Beach (11%) and Santa Ana (6%). Next door ↓
Costa Mesa is where the jobs are
Costa Mesa has 80,735 jobs, 1.7 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Costa Mesa are quick
The average trip to work takes 22 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
Costa Mesa draws workers from far and wide
The 80,735 jobs in Costa Mesa are filled from a wide area. Costa Mesa’s own residents hold 8% and the ten next-biggest home towns 37%; the other 55% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Costa Mesa
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Costa Mesa is better than 80% of U.S. towns, #173 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Costa Mesa’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Costa Mesa could be anywhere from B+ to A.
In and out of Costa Mesa on a workday
On a workday 41,135 residents head out to work, 6,274 work right here, and 74,461 people come in from elsewhere.
About 142,000 people are in Costa Mesa on a workday afternoon, 31% more than live here.
1.7 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.
From Costa Mesa, about 22 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Costa Mesa workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 49,412 commuters (the 22% 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.
The daily trip into Costa Mesa
Where Costa Mesa clocks in
14% of workers
11% 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.
67% of the jobs in Costa Mesa pay over $3,333 a month
80,735 jobs are based in Costa Mesa.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Costa Mesa, 2013 → 2023: 76,926 → 80,735. 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 Costa Mesa’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Costa Mesa’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Costa Mesa is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Costa Mesa is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #130 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Costa Mesa 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 63,538 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, 33% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.1 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). 4.8% of Costa Mesa households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Costa Mesa’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
How Costa Mesa ranks: 95th of 394 U.S. towns of 76,000 to 147,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| 3 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Berkeley CA | 121,911 | $108K | 17.3% | 5.6% | 21% | A |
| 19 | Mountain View CA | 85,438 | $190K | 6.0% | 3.7% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Livermore CA | 83,457 | $161K | 4.9% | 3.6% | 23% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 93 | Woodbridge Township NJ | 104,802 | $109K | 8.4% | 4.9% | 13% | A− |
| 94 | Doral FL | 81,634 | $94K | 10.3% | 3.3% | 21% | A− |
| 95 | Costa Mesa CA | 108,881 | $112K | 9.1% | 4.7% | 13% | A− |
| 96 | Addison Township IL | 87,841 | $91K | 7.2% | 4.5% | 18% | A− |
| 97 | Orange CA | 138,365 | $117K | 9.5% | 4.9% | 13% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 394 | Flint MI | 79,306 | $38K | 34.1% | 14.8% | 20% | 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 Costa Mesa, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Next door is work for 35% of Costa Mesa
The biggest share goes to Irvine (14%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Costa Mesa workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Mesa | – | A− | A | 22 min | $111,505 |
| Newport Beach | 11% | A | A− | 23 min | $156,867 |
| Santa Ana | 6% | B+ | A | 25 min | $93,999 |
| Irvine | 14% | B+ | A | 25 min | $136,719 |
| Huntington Beach | 4% | B+ | A | 28 min | $120,919 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Costa Mesa’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 Costa Mesa: questions
What is the median household income in Costa Mesa?
$111,505 (±$4,151) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Costa Mesa?
9.1%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Costa Mesa?
22 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Costa Mesa work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Irvine (14%, 8 mi), Newport Beach (11%, 4 mi), Santa Ana (6%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Costa Mesa walkable?
Costa Mesa is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 14.2 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Costa Mesa without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 33% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Costa Mesa, from the people who make the trip.
More of Costa Mesa
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.