Photo: Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Cupertino are among the highest of any U.S. town
The two grades for Cupertino are A for jobs and income and A for walkability. Measured by household income, Cupertino is among the highest-earning towns in the country. Below the poverty line: 4.1% of residents, against 12.0% across California.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Cupertino apart
Cupertino makes and builds things
71% of the jobs based in Cupertino are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Cupertino residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 21%. The jobs ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
85% of Cupertino’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 88% of the jobs based in Cupertino. The jobs ↓
Cupertino has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Cupertino went from 31,687 in 2013 to 57,063 in 2023, +80%. The jobs ↓
Cupertino is where the jobs are
Cupertino has 57,063 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 89,000 people are in town, 53% more than the 58,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Cupertino works from home
32% of Cupertino workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Cupertino
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Cupertino is better than 95% of U.S. towns, #24 of 847 in California. Household income is its strongest input ($234,707, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.0%, 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, Cupertino could be anywhere from A to A+.
A place that makes things: 71% of Cupertino’s jobs are in goods
57,063 jobs are based in Cupertino.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Cupertino, 2013 → 2023: 31,687 → 57,063. 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 Cupertino’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes Cupertino
On a workday 23,383 residents head out to work, 2,982 work right here, and 54,081 people come in from elsewhere.
About 89,000 people are in Cupertino on a workday afternoon, 53% more than live here.
2.2 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.
About 24 minutes each way, quicker than most of California
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Cupertino workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 19,155 commuters (the 32% 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 Cupertino’s workers come from
Where Cupertino clocks in
18% of workers
9% of workers
9% 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.
Miles to work from Cupertino
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Cupertino
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Cupertino is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #145 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Cupertino 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 28,088 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 79% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 6% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 87% 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). 3.8% of Cupertino households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Cupertino’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Cupertino is 36th of 749 U.S. towns of 41,000 to 79,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Keller TX | 46,078 | $175K | 3.4% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Bridgewater Township NJ | 46,455 | $173K | 4.1% | 3.7% | 11% | A |
| 35 | Madison AL | 67,968 | $135K | 4.3% | 2.2% | 13% | A |
| 36 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| 37 | Wauwatosa WI | 48,649 | $101K | 5.8% | 2.1% | 17% | A |
| 38 | Bloomfield Township MI | 43,904 | $163K | 4.8% | 3.6% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 46 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 60 | Newark CA | 47,895 | $169K | 4.3% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 749 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Cupertino, the top three, the last and three more from California.
36% of Cupertino works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to San Jose (18%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Cupertino workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cupertino | – | A | A | 24 min | $234,707 |
| San Jose | 18% | A− | A | 27 min | $146,427 |
| Sunnyvale | 9% | A | A+ | 23 min | $186,170 |
| Los Altos | under 2% | A | A+ | 22 min | $250,000+ |
| Saratoga | under 2% | A+ | A− | 25 min | $250,000+ |
| Santa Clara | 9% | A− | A+ | 23 min | $178,958 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Cupertino’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 Cupertino: questions
What is the median household income in Cupertino?
$234,707 (±$12,596) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Cupertino?
4.1%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Cupertino?
24 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Cupertino work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Jose (18%, 13 mi), Sunnyvale (9%, 5 mi), Santa Clara (9%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Cupertino walkable?
Cupertino is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.2 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Cupertino without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 6% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Cupertino, from the people who make the trip.
More of Cupertino
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.