Photo: Azusa Tarn · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Irvine are higher than in 93% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 10.8% of residents (California 12.0%). Jobs and income earn Irvine B+; getting around on foot earns it A. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 4.6 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
Where Irvine stands out on work
Irvine is where the jobs are
Irvine has 279,609 jobs, 2.4 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 482,000 people are in town, 51% more than the 319,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Irvine works from home
28% of Irvine workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in Irvine pay over $40,000 a year
77% of the jobs based in Irvine pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Irvine draws workers from far and wide
The 279,609 jobs in Irvine are filled from a wide area. Irvine’s own residents hold 12% and the ten next-biggest home towns 28%; the other 60% 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 Irvine’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Irvine is better than 73% of U.S. towns, #251 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Irvine’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Irvine could be anywhere from B+ to A−.
Who commutes out of Irvine, and who commutes in
On a workday 83,116 residents head out to work, 33,674 work right here, and 245,935 people come in from elsewhere.
About 482,000 people are in Irvine on a workday afternoon, 51% more than live here.
2.4 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
How long Irvine spends getting to work: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Irvine workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 111,883 commuters (the 28% 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.
77% of the jobs in Irvine pay over $3,333 a month
279,609 jobs are based in Irvine.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Irvine, 2013 → 2023: 214,257 → 279,609. 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 Irvine’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where the people who work in Irvine live
Where Irvine clocks in
5% of workers
5% 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.
How far it is to work from Irvine
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.
Irvine 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, Irvine is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #119 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Irvine 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 155,297 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 68% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 16% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.6 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 Irvine households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Irvine’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Irvine places 14th of 65 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 223,000 to 430,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Hempstead NY | 238,982 | $158K | 4.5% | 4.1% | 20% | A |
| 2 | Oyster Bay NY | 301,115 | $160K | 3.9% | 4.6% | 19% | A |
| 3 | Frisco TX | 236,955 | $150K | 3.6% | 4.6% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Fremont CA | 226,442 | $182K | 5.2% | 4.7% | 17% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Madison WI | 286,233 | $78K | 16.4% | 2.7% | 59% | A− |
| 13 | Santa Clarita CA | 228,430 | $123K | 7.4% | 5.6% | 21% | A− |
| 14 | Irvine CA | 318,764 | $137K | 10.8% | 5.9% | 29% | B+ |
| 15 | Santa Ana CA | 315,586 | $94K | 10.8% | 4.8% | 18% | B+ |
| 16 | Anchorage AK | 287,155 | $103K | 8.9% | 4.6% | — | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Chula Vista CA | 275,533 | $108K | 8.7% | 8.0% | 17% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Anaheim CA | 341,008 | $95K | 12.4% | 5.8% | 17% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 65 | Cleveland OH | 363,608 | $41K | 30.6% | 10.8% | 42% | C− |
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 Irvine, the top three, the last and three more from California.
19% of Irvine works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Newport Beach (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Irvine workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irvine | – | B+ | A | 25 min | $136,719 |
| Tustin | 3% | B+ | A− | 23 min | $112,503 |
| Newport Beach | 5% | A | A− | 23 min | $156,867 |
| Lake Forest | 2% | A− | A− | 26 min | $135,175 |
| Santa Ana | 5% | B+ | A | 25 min | $93,999 |
| Laguna Woods | under 2% | C+ | A | 20 min | $59,269 |
| Laguna Hills | under 2% | A− | B+ | 27 min | $128,851 |
| Costa Mesa | 4% | A− | A | 22 min | $111,505 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Irvine’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 Irvine: questions
What is the median household income in Irvine?
$136,719 (±$5,709) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Irvine?
10.8%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Irvine?
25 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 28% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Irvine work?
29% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (7%, 44 mi), Newport Beach (5%, 6 mi), Santa Ana (5%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Irvine walkable?
Irvine is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.6 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Irvine without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 16% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Irvine, from the people who make the trip.
More of Irvine
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.