Photo: Mliu92 · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in San Bruno are higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
The poverty rate is 6.0%, next to 12.0% for California as a whole. For jobs and income San Bruno is better than 86% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (A). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 37.5 in San Francisco.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set San Bruno apart
San Bruno and San Francisco trade workers both ways
San Francisco is the top workplace for San Bruno residents (30%) and also where the most people who work in San Bruno come from (19% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Three in four San Bruno workers earn over $40,000 a year
77% of San Bruno’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Commutes from San Bruno are quick
The average trip to work takes 24 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
How San Bruno earns its Jobs & income grade
Household income holds San Bruno’s grade up ($141,272, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, San Bruno could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
30% of working residents work in San Francisco
Where San Bruno clocks in
8% of workers
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.
65% of the jobs in San Bruno pay over $3,333 a month
13,077 jobs are based in San Bruno.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Bruno, 2013 → 2023: 11,395 → 13,077. 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 San Bruno’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from San Bruno takes about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of San Bruno workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 18,610 commuters (the 18% 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.
San Bruno by day and by night
On a workday 19,699 residents head out to work, 1,110 work right here, and 11,967 people come in from elsewhere.
About 35,000 people are in San Bruno on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.63 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.
The distance from San Bruno to work
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.
San Bruno is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 22,694 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 19% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 7% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 62% 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). 4.9% of San Bruno households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of San Bruno’s commuters take a bus or train.
San Bruno next to U.S. towns of 30,000 to 57,000: 239th of 994 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 54 | Manhattan Beach CA | 33,122 | $204K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Saratoga CA | 30,418 | $250K | 3.3% | 4.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 102 | Newark CA | 47,895 | $169K | 4.3% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 237 | Orangetown NY | 50,377 | $145K | 6.3% | 5.2% | 16% | A |
| 238 | Sterling VA | 32,411 | $123K | 8.0% | 3.7% | 4% | A |
| 239 | San Bruno CA | 42,305 | $141K | 6.0% | 5.0% | 5% | A |
| 240 | Coral Gables FL | 49,578 | $134K | 9.4% | 3.6% | 18% | A |
| 241 | Washington Township NJ | 49,840 | $114K | 5.5% | 4.5% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 994 | 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 San Bruno, the top three, the last and three more from California.
The towns around San Bruno
The biggest share goes to South San Francisco (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Bruno workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Bruno | – | A | A | 24 min | $141,272 |
| South San Francisco | 8% | A | A | 26 min | $136,578 |
| Millbrae | under 2% | A− | A | 29 min | $163,476 |
| Pacifica | under 2% | A | A− | 27 min | $160,523 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of San Bruno’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 San Bruno: questions
What is the median household income in San Bruno?
$141,272 (±$9,325) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Bruno?
6.0%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from San Bruno?
24 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in San Bruno work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (30%, 10 mi), South San Francisco (8%, 4 mi), San Mateo (5%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Bruno walkable?
San Bruno is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.7 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Bruno without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 7% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Bruno, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Bruno
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.