Photo: Sallyrob at English Wikipedia · Public domainUnemployment in Moss Beach (0.2%) is lower than in 98% of U.S. towns
Working from home is the commute for 26% of workers (California 17%). For jobs and income Moss Beach is better than 86% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns (B+). Measured by household income, Moss Beach is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Moss Beach apart on work
Moss Beach’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
Unemployment is its strongest input; the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (9.1%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Moss Beach could be anywhere from B− to A+.
Each way, about 32 minutes from Moss Beach
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Moss Beach workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 961 commuters (the 26% 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.
In and out of Moss Beach on a workday
On a workday 1,128 residents head out to work, 56 work right here, and 352 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,900 people are in Moss Beach on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.34 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.
18% of working residents work in San Francisco
Where Moss Beach clocks in
11% of workers
4% 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.
Moss Beach makes things: 34% of its jobs are in goods
408 jobs are based in Moss Beach.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Moss Beach, 2013 → 2023: 361 → 408. 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 Moss Beach’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Moss Beach’s commute, mile by mile
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.
In Moss Beach, most people drive to work
How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 6.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 7.1% across California, on an EPA index of 6.9.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,296 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 20% 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). 9.7% of Moss Beach households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Moss Beach’s commuters take a bus or train.
485th of 4,797: where Moss Beach ranks among U.S. towns of 1,900 to 3,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Harmony Grove CA | 2,585 | $227K | 4.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 81 | Ross CA | 2,304 | $250K | 4.8% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 107 | Fairbanks Ranch CA | 2,703 | $250K | 5.5% | 0.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 483 | Hurstbourne Acres KY | 2,003 | $67K | 4.6% | 1.2% | 1% | A |
| 484 | North Annville Township PA | 2,324 | $84K | 3.2% | 2.0% | 3% | A |
| 485 | Moss Beach CA | 2,683 | $100K | 9.1% | 0.2% | 5% | A |
| 486 | Waikapu HI | 3,591 | $123K | 4.8% | 1.8% | 2% | A |
| 487 | Cologne MN | 2,139 | $129K | 5.2% | 4.0% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,797 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Moss Beach, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Moss Beach and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to El Granada (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Moss Beach workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moss Beach | – | A | B+ | 32 min | $99,680 |
| Montara | under 3% | A− | C− | 31 min | $233,826 |
| El Granada | 4% | B+ | A− | 30 min | $213,347 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Moss Beach’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 Moss Beach: questions
What is the median household income in Moss Beach?
$99,680 (±$45,343) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Moss Beach?
9.1%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Moss Beach?
32 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Moss Beach work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (18%, 18 mi), Half Moon Bay (11%, 4 mi), San Jose (4%, 40 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Moss Beach walkable?
Moss Beach is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Moss Beach without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Moss Beach, from the people who make the trip.
More of Moss Beach
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.