Photo: Binksternet · Public domainHousehold incomes in Novato are higher than in 86% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 7.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 37.5 in San Francisco. Below the poverty line: 9.6% of residents, where California as a whole has 12.0%. The two grades for Novato are B for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Novato, in brief
Novato trades workers with the towns around it
Novato has about as many jobs (21,512) as working residents (22,756), but they are mostly different people: 19,018 residents leave for work each day while 17,774 people come in. Only 17% of the jobs in Novato are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Novato’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Novato is San Francisco, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 18% of working residents (4,013) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
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.
Jobs & income in Novato: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Novato is better than 64% of U.S. towns, #372 of 847 in California. Household income holds Novato’s grade up ($115,736, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Novato could be anywhere from B− to A−.
Who commutes out of Novato, and who commutes in
On a workday 19,018 residents head out to work, 3,738 work right here, and 17,774 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.95 per resident).
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 far Novato goes to work
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.
18% of working residents work in San Francisco
Where Novato clocks in
12% of workers
3% 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.
71% of the jobs in Novato pay over $3,333 a month
21,512 jobs are based in Novato.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Novato, 2013 → 2023: 19,333 → 21,512. 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 Novato’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 28 minutes to work from Novato
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Novato workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 19,534 commuters (the 20% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Novato
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Novato is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #110 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Novato 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 24,274 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 84% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 24% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 5.0% of Novato households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Novato’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Novato is 471st of 862 U.S. towns of 36,000 to 70,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Oakton VA | 36,528 | $161K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 63 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 79 | Newark CA | 47,895 | $169K | 4.3% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 469 | Henrietta NY | 48,832 | $86K | 12.5% | 4.1% | 23% | B |
| 470 | La Habra CA | 60,908 | $100K | 10.9% | 7.1% | 6% | B |
| 471 | Novato CA | 51,947 | $116K | 9.6% | 5.9% | 16% | B |
| 472 | Gallatin TN | 54,590 | $78K | 13.0% | 3.1% | 25% | B |
| 473 | Winter Garden FL | 48,063 | $106K | 9.9% | 6.6% | 8% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 862 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Novato, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Around Novato: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Novato workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novato | – | B | A | 28 min | $115,736 |
| Black Point-Green Point | under 2% | A− | A− | 28 min | $168,438 |
| Lucas Valley-Marinwood | under 2% | A+ | A | 25 min | $200,761 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Novato’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 Novato: questions
What is the median household income in Novato?
$115,736 (±$10,368) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Novato?
9.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Novato?
28 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Novato work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (18%, 22 mi), San Rafael (12%, 8 mi), Petaluma (3%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Novato walkable?
Novato is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.7 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Novato without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 24% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Novato, from the people who make the trip.
More of Novato
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.