Photo: Dicklyon · CC BY-SA 4.0At 8.3%, unemployment in Richmond is higher than in 89% of U.S. towns
Measured by household income, Richmond is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns. The two grades for Richmond are B− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. About one in ten work in Richmond; the top destination outside it is San Francisco (18%, 13 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Richmond and work: the main findings
Richmond workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 34 minutes each way, against 29 across California. Over a year that’s about 261 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in Richmond pay over $40,000 a year
72% of the jobs based in Richmond pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Richmond draws workers from far and wide
The 32,443 jobs in Richmond are filled from a wide area. Richmond’s own residents hold 14% and the ten next-biggest home towns 30%; the other 56% 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.
Income, poverty and work: Richmond’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Richmond is better than 54% of U.S. towns, #473 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Richmond’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Richmond could be anywhere from B− to B.
About 34 minutes each way, longer than most of California
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Richmond workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 47,815 commuters (the 14% 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.
72% of the jobs in Richmond pay over $3,333 a month
32,443 jobs are based in Richmond.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Richmond, 2013 → 2023: 27,335 → 32,443. 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 Richmond’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Out of Richmond to work: where people go
Where Richmond clocks in
10% of workers
7% 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.
Who commutes out of Richmond, and who commutes in
On a workday 39,769 residents head out to work, 4,661 work right here, and 27,782 people come in from elsewhere.
About 103,000 people are in Richmond on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
0.73 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.
Richmond’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.
Richmond is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 55,568 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 98% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 64% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 11.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 94% 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). 8.3% of Richmond households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of Richmond’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Richmond next to U.S. towns of 80,000 to 155,000: 218th of 368 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Carmel IN | 105,634 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 3 | Clay Township IN | 104,932 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Berkeley CA | 121,911 | $108K | 17.3% | 5.6% | 21% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Mountain View CA | 85,438 | $190K | 6.0% | 3.7% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Livermore CA | 83,457 | $161K | 4.9% | 3.6% | 23% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 216 | Fayetteville AR | 106,623 | $63K | 20.6% | 4.0% | 45% | B− |
| 217 | Everett WA | 113,567 | $84K | 12.9% | 5.8% | 28% | B− |
| 218 | Richmond CA | 114,861 | $95K | 13.5% | 8.3% | 10% | B− |
| 219 | Springdale AR | 90,685 | $70K | 13.4% | 3.7% | 36% | B− |
| 220 | St. George UT | 108,713 | $77K | 11.4% | 3.6% | 64% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 368 | Lawton OK | 90,503 | $54K | 21.1% | 8.1% | 55% | 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 Richmond, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Around Richmond: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Richmond workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | – | B− | A+ | 34 min | $95,391 |
| El Sobrante | under 2% | B+ | A | 34 min | $114,853 |
| El Cerrito | under 2% | A− | A+ | 33 min | $127,876 |
| East Richmond Heights | under 2% | A− | A+ | 37 min | $134,632 |
| North Richmond | under 2% | A+ | A | 31 min | $100,673 |
| Kensington | under 2% | A− | A+ | 33 min | $237,130 |
| Montalvin Manor | under 2% | B | A | 33 min | $79,542 |
| Tara Hills | under 2% | B | A | 35 min | $101,747 |
| Pinole | under 2% | A | A+ | 35 min | $127,717 |
| Bayview | under 2% | A | A | 30 min | $162,537 |
| Albany | under 2% | A | A+ | 31 min | $144,107 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Richmond’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 Richmond: questions
What is the median household income in Richmond?
$95,391 (±$4,367) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Richmond?
13.5%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Richmond?
34 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Richmond work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (18%, 13 mi), Oakland (10%, 15 mi), Berkeley (7%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Richmond walkable?
Richmond is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.2 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Richmond without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 64% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Richmond, from the people who make the trip.
More of Richmond
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.