Photo: Trackinfo · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Pico Rivera top those of 66% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 10.3% of residents, against 12.0% across California. The two grades for Pico Rivera are B+ for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.1 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 Pico Rivera stands out on work
Pico Rivera and Los Angeles trade workers both ways
Los Angeles is the top workplace for Pico Rivera residents (23%) and also where the most people who work in Pico Rivera come from (12% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Pico Rivera draws workers from far and wide
The 17,599 jobs in Pico Rivera are filled from a wide area. Pico Rivera’s own residents hold 9% and the ten next-biggest home towns 30%; the other 61% 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.
Pico Rivera’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Pico Rivera is better than 70% of U.S. towns, #293 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Pico Rivera’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.9%, 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, Pico Rivera could be anywhere from B to A−.
23% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where Pico Rivera clocks in
Lines 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 commute in and out of Pico Rivera
On a workday 24,372 residents head out to work, 1,595 work right here, and 16,004 people come in from elsewhere.
About 51,000 people are in Pico Rivera on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.68 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.
Inside Pico Rivera’s 17,599 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Pico Rivera, 2013 → 2023: 16,871 → 17,599. 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 Pico Rivera’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Pico Rivera takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Pico Rivera workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 24,544 commuters (the 9% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Pico Rivera
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.
Pico Rivera is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Pico Rivera is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns, #357 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.2% 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 26,880 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 81% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 9% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 69% 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). 7.4% of Pico Rivera households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Pico Rivera’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Pico Rivera is 361st of 760 U.S. towns of 41,000 to 80,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 359 | Palm Harbor FL | 61,512 | $79K | 10.3% | 3.3% | 10% | B+ |
| 360 | White Plains NY | 62,871 | $111K | 11.2% | 5.9% | 14% | B+ |
| 361 | Pico Rivera CA | 58,915 | $88K | 10.3% | 4.9% | 6% | B+ |
| 362 | Clay NY | 59,285 | $91K | 8.4% | 4.2% | 13% | B+ |
| 363 | Tamiami FL | 49,752 | $78K | 11.6% | 3.4% | 5% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 760 | 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 Pico Rivera, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Bordering towns draw 13% of Pico Rivera’s workers
The biggest share goes to Santa Fe Springs (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Pico Rivera workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pico Rivera | – | B+ | A− | 30 min | $88,201 |
| Montebello | 2% | B− | A | 31 min | $79,971 |
| Industry | 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Whittier | 3% | B+ | A | 33 min | $97,201 |
| Santa Fe Springs | 4% | B+ | B+ | 34 min | $88,238 |
| West Whittier-Los Nietos | under 2% | A− | A | 32 min | $111,699 |
| Downey | 2% | B+ | A | 31 min | $90,699 |
Same-state neighbors only. Industry: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Pico Rivera’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 Pico Rivera: questions
What is the median household income in Pico Rivera?
$88,201 (±$8,138) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Pico Rivera?
10.3%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Pico Rivera?
30 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Pico Rivera work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (23%, 19 mi), Santa Fe Springs (4%, 4 mi), Whittier (3%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Pico Rivera walkable?
Pico Rivera is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.6 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Pico Rivera without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 9% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Pico Rivera, from the people who make the trip.
More of Pico Rivera
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.