Elfin Forest has 2.1 jobs for every working resident: 511 people commute in to work
Working from home is the commute for 33% of workers, where California as a whole has 17%. There are 518 jobs in Elfin Forest, against 249 working residents. Only 3% stay in Elfin Forest for work; outside it, San Diego is the main destination (31%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Elfin Forest
Elfin Forest is where the jobs are
Elfin Forest has 518 jobs, 2.1 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 860 people are in town, 45% more than the 590 who live here. Day and night ↓
Nearly all jobs in Elfin Forest pay over $40,000 a year
89% of the jobs based in Elfin Forest pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
31% of Elfin Forest works in San Diego
78 working residents, 31%, have their main job in San Diego, 18 miles away. That’s 10 times as many as work in Elfin Forest itself. 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; with 249 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
In and out of Elfin Forest on a workday
On a workday 242 residents head out to work and 7 work right here.
About 860 people are in Elfin Forest on a workday afternoon, 45% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Most jobs in Elfin Forest are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Elfin Forest, 2013 → 2023: 35 → 518. 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 Elfin Forest’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip into Elfin Forest
Where Elfin Forest clocks in
31% of workers
12% of workers
10% 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.
Elfin Forest’s commute takes about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Elfin Forest workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 189 commuters (the 33% 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 Elfin Forest works
About 22% 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.
Elfin Forest and its neighbors: 10% work next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Elfin Forest workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elfin Forest | – | — | — | 20 min | $170,938 |
| San Marcos | 10% | B+ | A− | 27 min | $109,377 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to San Marcos. Darker towns draw more of Elfin Forest’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 Elfin Forest: questions
What is the median household income in Elfin Forest?
$170,938 (±$112,519) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Elfin Forest?
2.7%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Elfin Forest?
20 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 33% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Elfin Forest work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Diego (31%, 18 mi), Carlsbad (12%, 7 mi), San Marcos (10%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Elfin Forest without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Elfin Forest, from the people who make the trip.
More of Elfin Forest
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.