El Cerrito’s household incomes are higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
Jobs & income A−: better than 80% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #166 of 847 in California.
Walkability A+: among the most walkable U.S. towns · #6 of 847 in California.
Working residents average 33 minutes each way (California 29, U.S. 26). Only 4% work in El Cerrito; the top destination outside it is San Francisco (21%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in El Cerrito
A lot of El Cerrito works from home
32% of El Cerrito workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside El Cerrito
76% of El Cerrito residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 48% of the jobs based in El Cerrito pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 96% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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.
What’s behind El Cerrito’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, El Cerrito is better than 80% of U.S. towns, #166 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds El Cerrito’s grade up (ahead of 93% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.8%, 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, El Cerrito could be anywhere from B+ to A.
About 33 minutes each way, longer than most of California
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of El Cerrito workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,164 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.
What the 5,538 jobs in El Cerrito are
5,538 jobs are based in El Cerrito. Here is what they are, next to the jobs El Cerrito’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in El Cerrito, 2013 → 2023: 4,585 → 5,538. 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.
El Cerrito quiets down on a workday
On a workday 11,551 residents head out to work, 523 work right here, and 5,015 people come in from elsewhere.
About 20,000 people are in El Cerrito on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.46 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.
21% of working residents work in San Francisco
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where El Cerrito clocks in
12% of workers
11% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
Half of El Cerrito commutes less than 11 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
El Cerrito is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, El Cerrito is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #6 of 847 in California. Both inputs place El Cerrito 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 13,432 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, 58% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 19.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 98% 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). 7.4% of El Cerrito households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 22% of El Cerrito’s commuters take a bus or train.
El Cerrito is 555th of 1,576 U.S. towns of 18,000 to 35,000 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of El Cerrito, the top three, the last and three more from California.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 104 | Manhattan Beach CA | 33,122 | $204K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 122 | Saratoga CA | 30,418 | $250K | 3.3% | 4.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 553 | Tallmadge OH | 18,521 | $89K | 5.0% | 4.1% | 9% | A− |
| 554 | Pikesville MD | 33,524 | $98K | 7.8% | 4.1% | 9% | A− |
| 555 | El Cerrito CA | 26,121 | $128K | 6.9% | 5.8% | 4% | A− |
| 556 | Ferndale MI | 19,212 | $95K | 9.0% | 3.7% | 5% | A− |
| 557 | Benbrook TX | 24,279 | $86K | 5.9% | 4.3% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,576 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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.
El Cerrito and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Richmond (5%). Darker towns draw more of El Cerrito’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | El Cerrito workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Cerrito | – | A− | A+ | 33 min | $127,876 |
| Richmond | 5% | B− | A+ | 34 min | $95,391 |
| Kensington | under 2% | A− | A+ | 33 min | $237,130 |
| Albany | 2% | A | A+ | 31 min | $144,107 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 El Cerrito: questions
What is the median household income in El Cerrito?
$127,876 (±$9,939) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in El Cerrito?
6.9%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from El Cerrito?
33 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in El Cerrito work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (21%, 12 mi), Berkeley (12%, 4 mi), Oakland (11%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is El Cerrito walkable?
El Cerrito is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.1 out of 20, and 28% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around El Cerrito without a car?
22% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 58% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from El Cerrito, from the people who make the trip.
More of El Cerrito
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.