Courtlandt Gross House · Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0At 11.6%, unemployment in Golden Hills is higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
11% of workers work from home (California 17%). The two grades for Golden Hills are C− for jobs and income and C− for walkability. Household incomes here are higher than in 73% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Golden Hills: the gist
Fewer jobs are based in Golden Hills than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Golden Hills fell from 2,062 in 2014 to 839 in 2024, −59%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Golden Hills and Tehachapi trade workers both ways
Tehachapi is the top workplace for Golden Hills residents (22%) and also where the most people who work in Golden Hills come from (16% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Golden Hills
63% of Golden Hills residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 41% of the jobs based in Golden Hills pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Golden Hills is a place people come home to
There are 839 jobs based in Golden Hills, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Golden Hills has about 7,400 people in it, 25% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Income, poverty and work: Golden Hills’ grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Golden Hills is better than 18% of U.S. towns, #733 of 847 in California. Household income holds Golden Hills’ grade up ($95,669, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Golden Hills could be anywhere from D to C+.
The 839 jobs based in Golden Hills
839 jobs are based in Golden Hills.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Golden Hills, 2014 → 2024: 2,062 → 839. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Golden Hills’s own residents hold wherever they work.
22% of working residents work in Tehachapi
Where Golden Hills clocks in
22% 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.
The daily flow of workers through Golden Hills
On a workday 3,112 residents head out to work, 199 work right here, and 640 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,400 people are in Golden Hills on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.25 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 2024, primary jobs.
Golden Hills’ commute takes about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Golden Hills workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,826 commuters (the 11% 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.
The distance from Golden Hills to work
About 31% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Most trips from Golden Hills start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Golden Hills is more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns, #804 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.1% 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 4,285 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 41% 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). 3.4% of Golden Hills households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Golden Hills’ commuters take a bus or train.
Golden Hills is 2,439th of 2,792 U.S. towns of 6,900 to 13,400 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Piedmont CA | 10,642 | $250K | 4.3% | 1.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Gold River CA | 7,924 | $175K | 2.9% | 2.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 88 | Sierra Madre CA | 10,620 | $144K | 4.6% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,437 | August CA | 8,825 | $53K | 26.9% | 10.9% | 1% | C− |
| 2,438 | Parker SC | 12,898 | $40K | 29.6% | 7.0% | 2% | C− |
| 2,439 | Golden Hills CA | 9,891 | $96K | 17.6% | 11.6% | 6% | C− |
| 2,440 | Fort Campbell North KY | 11,356 | $59K | 11.7% | 17.4% | 4% | C− |
| 2,441 | Endicott NY | 13,068 | $47K | 29.0% | 5.8% | 13% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,792 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 6% | 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 Golden Hills, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Bordering towns draw 22% of Golden Hills’ workers
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Golden Hills workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Hills | – | C− | C− | 33 min | $95,669 |
| Tehachapi | 22% | C− | C+ | 27 min | $72,957 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Tehachapi. Darker towns draw more of Golden Hills’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 2024, 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 Golden Hills: questions
What is the median household income in Golden Hills?
$95,669 (±$18,798) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Golden Hills?
17.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Golden Hills?
33 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Golden Hills work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Tehachapi (22%, 3 mi), Bakersfield (9%, 34 mi), Mojave (5%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Golden Hills walkable?
Golden Hills is more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 6.4 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Golden Hills without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Golden Hills, from the people who make the trip.
More of Golden Hills
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.