Unemployment in Phelan (12.9%) is higher than in 98% of U.S. towns
About one in ten stay in Phelan for work; outside it, San Bernardino is the main destination (7%, 24 miles). For jobs and income Phelan is better than 22% of U.S. towns (C−); for walkability it is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns (B−). Working from home is the commute for 7% of workers; California has 17%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Phelan, in a few figures
Phelan workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 47 minutes each way, against 29 across California. Over a year that’s about 360 hours of commuting, 138 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
No single place dominates Phelan’s commute
The biggest draw, San Bernardino, gets only 7% of working residents, and 56% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Phelan residents fan out across the region. 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.
Why Phelan gets the Jobs & income grade it does
Household income holds Phelan’s grade up ($79,914, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Phelan could be anywhere from D to C+.
About 47 minutes each way, longer than most of California
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 15.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Phelan workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,098 commuters (the 7% 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 the trip to work from Phelan ends
Where Phelan clocks in
7% of workers
6% 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.
In and out of Phelan on a workday
On a workday 4,091 residents head out to work, 373 work right here, and 1,465 people come in from elsewhere.
About 16,000 people are in Phelan on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.41 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.
What the 1,838 jobs in Phelan are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Phelan, 2013 → 2023: 1,692 → 1,838. 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 Phelan’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where in the region Phelan works
About 25% 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.
In Phelan, the car does most of the work
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,559 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 29% 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 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 45% 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). 1.9% of Phelan households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Phelan’s commuters take a bus or train.
Phelan places 1,682nd of 1,915 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 13,000 to 25,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 89 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 121 | Coto de Caza CA | 15,190 | $244K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,680 | Chalmette LA | 22,616 | $55K | 24.9% | 9.0% | 16% | C− |
| 1,681 | Perry Township OH | 15,929 | $53K | 17.9% | 6.5% | 29% | C− |
| 1,682 | Phelan CA | 18,496 | $80K | 12.7% | 12.9% | 8% | C− |
| 1,683 | Jamestown ND | 15,688 | $57K | 14.7% | 4.9% | 57% | C− |
| 1,684 | Berea SC | 16,862 | $50K | 22.9% | 6.7% | 2% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,915 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Phelan, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Work in the towns next to Phelan
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Phelan workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phelan | – | C− | B− | 47 min | $79,914 |
| Piñon Hills | under 3% | D | D | 49 min | $68,289 |
| Oak Hills | under 3% | B− | C+ | 52 min | $101,323 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Phelan’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 Phelan: questions
What is the median household income in Phelan?
$79,914 (±$7,358) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Phelan?
12.7%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Phelan?
47 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Phelan work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Bernardino (7%, 24 mi), Victorville (6%, 12 mi), Los Angeles (5%, 58 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Phelan walkable?
Phelan is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Phelan without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Phelan, from the people who make the trip.
More of Phelan
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.