James C. Rives House · Photo: Floatjon · CC BY-SA 3.0More people are out of work in Downey (5.8%) than in 72% of U.S. towns
9% of workers work from home, next to 17% for California as a whole. Downey grades B+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 4.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 17.5 in Los Angeles.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Downey, in brief
Downey trades workers with the towns around it
Downey has about as many jobs (42,300) as working residents (48,311), but they are mostly different people: 44,128 residents leave for work each day while 38,117 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Downey are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Downey and Los Angeles trade workers both ways
Los Angeles is the top workplace for Downey residents (22%) and also where the most people who work in Downey come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Downey draws workers from far and wide
The 42,300 jobs in Downey are filled from a wide area. Downey’s own residents hold 10% and the ten next-biggest home towns 31%; the other 59% 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.
The four measures behind Downey’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Downey is better than 69% of U.S. towns, #301 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Downey’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. 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, Downey could be anywhere from B to A−.
Who leaves, who stays, who comes in
On a workday 44,128 residents head out to work, 4,183 work right here, and 38,117 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 (0.88 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.
22% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where Downey clocks in
Lines 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.
The kinds of work in Downey
42,300 jobs are based in Downey.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Downey, 2013 → 2023: 37,234 → 42,300. 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 Downey’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Downey spends getting to work: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Downey workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 49,255 commuters (the 9% 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 it is to work from Downey
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.
Downey is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Downey is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns, #214 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 4.8% 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 54,222 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 98% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 32% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 83% 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). 5.3% of Downey households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Downey’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
How Downey ranks: 166th of 392 U.S. towns of 76,000 to 146,000
| # | 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 |
| … | |||||||
| 164 | Bismarck ND | 77,963 | $78K | 9.3% | 2.5% | 69% | B+ |
| 165 | Carson CA | 90,808 | $109K | 8.7% | 7.8% | 7% | B+ |
| 166 | Downey CA | 108,468 | $91K | 9.0% | 5.8% | 9% | B+ |
| 167 | Clovis CA | 129,347 | $99K | 8.0% | 5.6% | 17% | B+ |
| 168 | Iowa City IA | 76,229 | $59K | 26.3% | 4.6% | 57% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 392 | 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 Downey, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Around Downey: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Santa Fe Springs (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Downey workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downey | – | B+ | A | 31 min | $90,699 |
| South Gate | under 2% | B− | A | 33 min | $74,571 |
| Bellflower | under 2% | B− | A | 29 min | $78,722 |
| Norwalk | 1% | B+ | A | 30 min | $100,085 |
| Santa Fe Springs | 3% | B+ | B+ | 34 min | $88,238 |
| Bell Gardens | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 28 min | $62,298 |
| Paramount | under 2% | B | A | 28 min | $75,250 |
| Pico Rivera | under 2% | B+ | A− | 30 min | $88,201 |
| Commerce | 2% | B+ | A+ | 27 min | $77,064 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Downey’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 Downey: questions
What is the median household income in Downey?
$90,699 (±$3,748) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Downey?
9.0%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Downey?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Downey work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (22%, 17 mi), Long Beach (4%, 11 mi), Santa Fe Springs (3%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Downey walkable?
Downey is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.8 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Downey without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 32% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Downey, from the people who make the trip.
More of Downey
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.