Photo: Sanfranman59 · CC BY-SA 3.0San Leandro’s household incomes are higher than in 78% of U.S. towns
About one in ten stay in San Leandro for work; outside it, Oakland is the main destination (16%, 6 miles). 8.3% of residents are in poverty (California 12.0%). San Leandro grades B+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in San Leandro, in brief
San Leandro trades workers with the towns around it
San Leandro has about as many jobs (45,708) as working residents (41,891), but they are mostly different people: 37,035 residents leave for work each day while 40,852 people come in. Only 11% of the jobs in San Leandro are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
San Leandro and Oakland trade workers both ways
Oakland is the top workplace for San Leandro residents (16%) and also where the most people who work in San Leandro come from (12% of its jobs). 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.
Where San Leandro’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, San Leandro is better than 74% of U.S. towns, #237 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds San Leandro’s grade up (ahead of 93% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, San Leandro could be anywhere from B+ to A−.
San Leandro by day and by night
On a workday 37,035 residents head out to work, 4,856 work right here, and 40,852 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 (1.09 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.
Where people from San Leandro work
Where San Leandro clocks in
16% of workers
6% 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.
70% of the jobs in San Leandro pay over $3,333 a month
45,708 jobs are based in San Leandro.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Leandro, 2013 → 2023: 39,003 → 45,708. 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 Leandro’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from San Leandro takes about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of San Leandro workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 37,269 commuters (the 16% 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.
Where in the region San Leandro works
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 Leandro 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 44,250 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, 30% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 11.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 95% 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). 8.9% of San Leandro households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of San Leandro’s commuters take a bus or train.
189th of 531: where San Leandro ranks among U.S. towns of 60,000 to 115,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Mountain View CA | 85,438 | $190K | 6.0% | 3.7% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 187 | Santa Cruz CA | 61,797 | $115K | 17.0% | 7.2% | 29% | B+ |
| 188 | Coon Rapids MN | 64,193 | $88K | 8.2% | 4.5% | 11% | B+ |
| 189 | San Leandro CA | 85,353 | $101K | 8.3% | 5.3% | 12% | B+ |
| 190 | Lawrence KS | 96,367 | $65K | 17.4% | 4.4% | 52% | B+ |
| 191 | Brick Township NJ | 77,402 | $106K | 5.1% | 6.2% | 16% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 531 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Leandro, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Next door is work for 22% of San Leandro
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Leandro workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Leandro | – | B+ | A+ | 31 min | $101,420 |
| Oakland | 16% | B | A+ | 30 min | $101,600 |
| San Lorenzo | under 2% | A | A | 31 min | $112,660 |
| Ashland | under 2% | B− | A+ | 33 min | $81,702 |
| Castro Valley | under 2% | A | A | 33 min | $142,779 |
| Hayward | 6% | B+ | A | 32 min | $113,318 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Oakland. Darker towns draw more of San Leandro’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 Leandro: questions
What is the median household income in San Leandro?
$101,420 (±$3,914) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Leandro?
8.3%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from San Leandro?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in San Leandro work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Oakland (16%, 6 mi), San Francisco (14%, 15 mi), Hayward (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Leandro walkable?
San Leandro is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.1 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Leandro without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 30% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Leandro, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Leandro
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.