Photo: Payton Chung · CC BY 2.0San Jose’s household incomes are higher than in 95% of U.S. towns
San Jose grades A− for jobs and income and A for walkability. 8.1% of residents are in poverty, where California as a whole has 12.0%. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.6 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 6.5 in Sunnyvale.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in San Jose
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
76% of San Jose’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, and so do 74% of the jobs based in San Jose. The jobs ↓
A lot of San Jose works one town over
25% of working residents work in a town that borders San Jose: Santa Clara (8%), Sunnyvale (5%) and Fremont (4%). Next door ↓
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: San Jose’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, San Jose is better than 81% of U.S. towns, #161 of 847 in California. Household income holds San Jose’s grade up ($146,427, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, San Jose stays A−.
74% of the jobs in San Jose pay over $3,333 a month
405,006 jobs are based in San Jose.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Jose, 2013 → 2023: 357,022 → 405,006. 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 Jose’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who leaves San Jose for work, and who comes in
On a workday 294,527 residents head out to work, 166,361 work right here, and 238,645 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.88 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
8% of working residents work in Santa Clara
Where San Jose 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.
Commuting from San Jose: about 27 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of San Jose workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 401,974 commuters (the 20% 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.
How far it is to work from San Jose
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 Jose is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, San Jose is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns, #149 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 5.9% 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 504,395 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 91% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 27% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 6.1% of San Jose households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of San Jose’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
2nd of 16: where San Jose ranks among U.S. towns of 693,000 to 1,336,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hempstead NY | 795,734 | $141K | 5.9% | 5.2% | 28% | A |
| 2 | San Jose CA | 989,814 | $146K | 8.1% | 5.1% | 36% | A− |
| 3 | Seattle WA | 784,777 | $124K | 9.9% | 4.6% | 60% | A− |
| 4 | San Francisco CA | 826,079 | $141K | 11.2% | 6.1% | 57% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Columbus OH | 938,396 | $66K | 18.1% | 5.1% | 52% | B− |
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 Jose, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Work next door: 25% of San Jose’s workers
The biggest share goes to Santa Clara (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Jose workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | – | A− | A | 27 min | $146,427 |
| Campbell | 2% | A | A | 23 min | $145,268 |
| Alum Rock | under 2% | A | A− | 28 min | $126,705 |
| East Foothills | under 2% | A | B+ | 32 min | $199,375 |
| Milpitas | 3% | A | A | 26 min | $178,798 |
| Santa Clara | 8% | A− | A+ | 23 min | $178,958 |
| Fremont | 4% | A | A+ | 30 min | $181,506 |
| Los Gatos | under 2% | A | A | 28 min | $217,554 |
| Cupertino | 3% | A | A | 24 min | $234,707 |
| Saratoga | under 2% | A+ | A− | 25 min | $250,000+ |
| Sunnyvale | 5% | A | A+ | 23 min | $186,170 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of San Jose’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 Jose: questions
What is the median household income in San Jose?
$146,427 (±$2,140) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Jose?
8.1%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from San Jose?
27 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in San Jose work?
36% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Santa Clara (8%, 10 mi), Sunnyvale (5%, 13 mi), San Francisco (4%, 47 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Jose walkable?
San Jose is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.8 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Jose without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 27% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Jose, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Jose
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.