Household incomes put Rossmoor near the very top of U.S. towns
The two grades for Rossmoor are A for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Household incomes here are among the highest in the country. Poverty touches 4.2% of residents, next to 12.0% for California as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Rossmoor in brief
Home offices are common in Rossmoor
27% of Rossmoor workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Rossmoor has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Rossmoor went from 809 in 2013 to 1,213 in 2023, +50%. The jobs ↓
Rossmoor is a place people come home to
There are 1,213 jobs based in Rossmoor, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Rossmoor has about 8,000 people in it, 30% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Rossmoor
71% of Rossmoor residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 51% of the jobs based in Rossmoor pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 98% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Rossmoor’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Rossmoor is Los Angeles, 25 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (530) 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Rossmoor
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rossmoor is better than 93% of U.S. towns, #32 of 847 in California. Household income is its strongest input ($211,597, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rossmoor could be anywhere from A− to A+.
About 28 minutes each way, about the CA average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rossmoor workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,720 commuters (the 27% 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.
Most jobs in Rossmoor are in services
1,213 jobs are based in Rossmoor.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rossmoor, 2013 → 2023: 809 → 1,213. 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 Rossmoor’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Rossmoor on a workday
On a workday 4,590 residents head out to work, 108 work right here, and 1,105 people come in from elsewhere.
About 8,000 people are in Rossmoor on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.26 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Rossmoor
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.
11% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where Rossmoor clocks in
5% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Rossmoor
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rossmoor is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns, #408 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.7% 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 5,076 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 73% 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 1.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 67% 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). 0.8% of Rossmoor households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Rossmoor’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Rossmoor is 304th of 2,695 U.S. towns of 8,000 to 16,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Piedmont CA | 10,642 | $250K | 4.3% | 1.5% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 91 | Sierra Madre CA | 10,620 | $144K | 4.6% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 142 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 302 | Seven Hills OH | 11,464 | $97K | 4.8% | 2.5% | 2% | A |
| 303 | North Londonderry Township PA | 9,109 | $109K | 4.2% | 2.1% | 5% | A |
| 304 | Rossmoor CA | 11,532 | $212K | 4.2% | 3.6% | 2% | A |
| 305 | Palos Verdes Estates CA | 12,559 | $242K | 2.9% | 4.7% | 5% | A |
| 306 | Berthoud CO | 14,080 | $119K | 4.6% | 1.5% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,695 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | 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 Rossmoor, the top three, the last and three more from California.
How Rossmoor compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Los Alamitos (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rossmoor workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rossmoor | – | A | A− | 28 min | $211,597 |
| Seal Beach | 3% | B+ | A | 29 min | $85,964 |
| Los Alamitos | 5% | B | A | 31 min | $97,155 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rossmoor’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 Rossmoor: questions
What is the median household income in Rossmoor?
$211,597 (±$35,560) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rossmoor?
4.2%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rossmoor?
28 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 27% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rossmoor work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (11%, 25 mi), Long Beach (11%, 5 mi), Irvine (5%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Rossmoor walkable?
Rossmoor is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.0 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rossmoor without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rossmoor, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rossmoor
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.