At 12.1%, unemployment in Crest is higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
Hardly any work in Crest; the top destination outside it is San Diego (34%, 15 miles). The two grades for Crest are B for jobs and income and C for walkability. Household incomes here are higher than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Crest: the figures worth knowing
Crest is a place people come home to
There are 196 jobs based in Crest, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Crest has about 1,700 people in it, 38% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Crest and San Diego trade workers both ways
San Diego is the top workplace for Crest residents (34%) and also where the most people who work in Crest come from (16% of its jobs). 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.
Income, poverty and work: Crest’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Crest is better than 65% of U.S. towns, #356 of 847 in California. Household income holds Crest’s grade up ($110,000, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down. 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, Crest could be anywhere from B− to A.
The workday shuffle in and out of Crest
On a workday 1,237 residents head out to work, 12 work right here, and 184 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,700 people are in Crest on a workday afternoon, 38% fewer than live here.
0.16 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.
The places Crest commutes to
Where Crest clocks in
34% of workers
12% 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.
In Crest, 52% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
196 jobs are based in Crest.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Crest, 2013 → 2023: 176 → 196. 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 Crest’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Crest, about 29 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Crest workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,031 commuters (the 11% 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 Crest works
About 16% 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 Crest commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Crest is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns, #788 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Crest 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 1,161 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). 1.6% of Crest households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Crest’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,900 to 3,700, Crest ranks 1,503rd of 4,969 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 33 | Harmony Grove CA | 2,585 | $227K | 4.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 85 | Ross CA | 2,304 | $250K | 4.8% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 111 | Fairbanks Ranch CA | 2,703 | $250K | 5.5% | 0.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,501 | Perth NY | 3,506 | $92K | 12.4% | 0.9% | 5% | B |
| 1,502 | Timberline-Fernwood AZ | 1,973 | $125K | 3.4% | 4.4% | 1% | B |
| 1,503 | Crest CA | 2,775 | $110K | 6.4% | 12.1% | 1% | B |
| 1,504 | Shawnee Hills OH | 2,534 | $109K | 2.5% | 10.7% | <1% | B |
| 1,505 | Devola OH | 2,688 | $100K | 2.1% | 5.6% | 5% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 4,969 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Crest, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Work in the towns next to Crest
The biggest share goes to Harbison Canyon (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Crest workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crest | – | B | C | 29 min | $110,000 |
| Harbison Canyon | 2% | B+ | D | 31 min | $130,302 |
| Granite Hills | under 2% | B | C | 30 min | $155,820 |
| Rancho San Diego | under 2% | B+ | B+ | 28 min | $118,682 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Crest’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 Crest: questions
What is the median household income in Crest?
$110,000 (±$21,675) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Crest?
6.4%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Crest?
29 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Crest work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Diego (34%, 15 mi), El Cajon (12%, 5 mi), Santee (4%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Crest walkable?
Crest is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Crest without a car?
0% 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 Crest, from the people who make the trip.
More of Crest
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.