Household incomes in East Pasadena are higher than in 83% of U.S. towns
Only 4% work in East Pasadena itself; outside it, Los Angeles draws the most (23%, 21 miles). Below the poverty line: 9.3% of residents, next to 12.0% for California as a whole. East Pasadena grades A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where East Pasadena stands out on work
East Pasadena trades workers with the towns around it
East Pasadena has about as many jobs (2,018) as working residents (2,356), but they are mostly different people: 2,266 residents leave for work each day while 1,928 people come in. Only 4% of the jobs in East Pasadena are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
East Pasadena and Los Angeles trade workers both ways
Los Angeles is the top workplace for East Pasadena residents (23%) and also where the most people who work in East Pasadena 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.
Jobs & income in East Pasadena: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, East Pasadena is better than 82% of U.S. towns, #151 of 847 in California. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, East Pasadena could be anywhere from B to A+.
Who leaves East Pasadena for work, and who comes in
On a workday 2,266 residents head out to work, 90 work right here, and 1,928 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 (0.86 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.
The towns that employ East Pasadena’s residents
Where East Pasadena clocks in
14% of workers
3% 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.
The 2,018 jobs based in East Pasadena
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in East Pasadena, 2013 → 2023: 1,793 → 2,018. 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 East Pasadena’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from East Pasadena: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of East Pasadena workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,275 commuters (the 14% 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 East Pasadena goes to work
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.
East Pasadena is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 6.4% 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 2,648 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 78% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 13.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 95% 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). 8.7% of East Pasadena households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of East Pasadena’s commuters take a bus or train.
East Pasadena places 724th of 3,612 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 3,800 to 7,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 33 | Del Mar CA | 3,858 | $199K | 2.7% | 1.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 71 | Las Flores CA | 5,513 | $212K | 4.8% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 78 | Broadmoor CA | 4,586 | $167K | 2.5% | 2.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 722 | LaGrange Township OH | 6,953 | $91K | 4.2% | 3.3% | 8% | A− |
| 723 | Swatara Township PA | 5,073 | $80K | 3.3% | 2.2% | 2% | A− |
| 724 | East Pasadena CA | 5,479 | $109K | 9.3% | 4.0% | 4% | A− |
| 725 | Palos Park IL | 4,805 | $122K | 8.5% | 4.7% | 2% | A− |
| 726 | Osnaburg Township OH | 5,498 | $72K | 6.0% | 1.2% | 3% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,612 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 East Pasadena, the top three, the last and three more from California.
17% of East Pasadena works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Pasadena (14%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | East Pasadena workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Pasadena | – | A− | A+ | 26 min | $109,136 |
| Pasadena | 14% | B+ | A+ | 27 min | $105,192 |
| Arcadia | 3% | A− | A | 29 min | $113,516 |
| East San Gabriel | under 2% | B+ | A | 30 min | $108,677 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of East Pasadena’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 East Pasadena: questions
What is the median household income in East Pasadena?
$109,136 (±$19,750) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in East Pasadena?
9.3%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from East Pasadena?
26 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in East Pasadena work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (23%, 21 mi), Pasadena (14%, 4 mi), Glendale (3%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is East Pasadena walkable?
East Pasadena is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.9 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around East Pasadena without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 78% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from East Pasadena, from the people who make the trip.
More of East Pasadena
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.