Photo: Ellin Beltz · Public domainHousehold incomes in Rio Dell are lower than in 94% of U.S. towns
Only 7% stay in Rio Dell for work; outside it, Eureka is the main destination (21%, 21 miles). 17.6% of residents are in poverty, next to 12.0% for California as a whole. For jobs and income Rio Dell is better than 3% of U.S. towns (D−); for walkability it is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns (B−).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Rio Dell: the figures worth knowing
Commutes from Rio Dell are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 69 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
Rio Dell is a place people come home to
There are 247 jobs based in Rio Dell, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Rio Dell has about 2,400 people in it, 25% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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.
The figures behind Rio Dell’s Jobs & income grade
The poverty rate holds Rio Dell’s grade up; unemployment pulls it down (14.3%, U.S. 5.2%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rio Dell could be anywhere from D− to C−.
About 20 minutes each way, quicker than most of California
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rio Dell workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,044 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.
Rio Dell on a workday afternoon
On a workday 989 residents head out to work, 69 work right here, and 178 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,400 people are in Rio Dell on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.23 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.
Out of Rio Dell to work: where people go
Where Rio Dell clocks in
21% of workers
19% of workers
10% 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.
The kinds of work in Rio Dell
247 jobs are based in Rio Dell.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rio Dell, 2013 → 2023: 228 → 247. 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 Rio Dell’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Rio Dell to work
About 18% 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.
Getting around Rio Dell: mostly by car
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any 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 1,217 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 46% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 58% 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). 7.0% of Rio Dell households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Rio Dell’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where Rio Dell sits among U.S. towns of 2,200 to 4,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Del Mar CA | 3,858 | $199K | 2.7% | 1.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Harmony Grove CA | 2,585 | $227K | 4.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 92 | Ross CA | 2,304 | $250K | 4.8% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,560 | Scott Township OH | 2,300 | $53K | 22.5% | 2.5% | 12% | D− |
| 4,561 | La Fayette AL | 2,621 | $33K | 33.4% | 6.1% | 11% | D− |
| 4,562 | Rio Dell CA | 3,211 | $43K | 17.6% | 14.3% | 7% | D− |
| 4,563 | Donalsonville GA | 2,834 | $43K | 28.6% | 7.5% | 28% | D− |
| 4,564 | Unadilla GA | 3,091 | $37K | 20.9% | 13.6% | 8% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,698 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Rio Dell, the top three, the last and three more from California.
10% of Rio Dell works in a town next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rio Dell workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Dell | – | D− | B− | 20 min | $42,753 |
| Scotia | 10% | — | — | 21 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Scotia: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Scotia. Darker towns draw more of Rio Dell’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 Rio Dell: questions
What is the median household income in Rio Dell?
$42,753 (±$14,364) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rio Dell?
17.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rio Dell?
20 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rio Dell work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Eureka (21%, 21 mi), Fortuna (19%, 6 mi), Scotia (10%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Rio Dell walkable?
Rio Dell is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 12.5 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rio Dell without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 46% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rio Dell, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rio Dell
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.