Unemployment in San Pablo (8.5%) is higher than in 90% of U.S. towns
Jobs & income B−: better than 48% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #518 of 847 in California.
Walkability A+: more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns · #44 of 847 in California.
Household incomes here are higher than in 55% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 32 minutes each way (California 29, U.S. 26). Only 5% work in San Pablo; the top destination outside it is San Francisco (16%, 14 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What’s behind San Pablo’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, San Pablo is better than 48% of U.S. towns, #518 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds San Pablo’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (8.5%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, San Pablo could be anywhere from C+ to B.
San Pablo quiets down on a workday
On a workday 11,441 residents head out to work, 651 work right here, and 4,056 people come in from elsewhere.
About 24,000 people are in San Pablo on a workday afternoon, 23% fewer than live here.
0.39 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.
16% of working residents work in San Francisco
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where San Pablo clocks in
10% of workers
9% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
What the 4,707 jobs in San Pablo are
4,707 jobs are based in San Pablo. Here is what they are, next to the jobs San Pablo’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Pablo, 2013 → 2023: 4,561 → 4,707. 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.
About 32 minutes each way, longer than most of California
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of San Pablo workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,632 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
Half of San Pablo commutes less than 13 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
San Pablo is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, San Pablo is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns, #44 of 847 in California. Both inputs place San Pablo near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 13,860 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 98% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 75% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 13.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 96% 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). 8.8% of San Pablo households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of San Pablo’s commuters take a bus or train.
San Pablo is 970th of 1,368 U.S. towns of 22,000 to 43,000 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of San Pablo, the top three, the last and three more from California.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 92 | Manhattan Beach CA | 33,122 | $204K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 103 | Saratoga CA | 30,418 | $250K | 3.3% | 4.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 120 | Lafayette CA | 25,313 | $228K | 2.9% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 968 | Vestal NY | 32,055 | $83K | 11.8% | 5.6% | 14% | B− |
| 969 | West Rancho Dominguez CA | 23,300 | $87K | 15.0% | 11.4% | 4% | B− |
| 970 | San Pablo CA | 31,678 | $79K | 12.6% | 8.5% | 5% | B− |
| 971 | Center Township IN | 25,168 | $68K | 13.8% | 3.5% | 22% | B− |
| 972 | Socastee SC | 23,796 | $62K | 12.6% | 3.5% | 6% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,368 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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.
10% of San Pablo works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Richmond (10%). Darker towns draw more of San Pablo’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Pablo workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Pablo | – | B− | A+ | 32 min | $79,478 |
| El Sobrante | under 2% | B+ | A | 34 min | $114,853 |
| Rollingwood | under 2% | B− | B+ | 34 min | $99,830 |
| Richmond | 10% | B− | A+ | 34 min | $95,391 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Pablo: questions
What is the median household income in San Pablo?
$79,478 (±$3,342) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Pablo?
12.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from San Pablo?
32 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in San Pablo work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (16%, 14 mi), Richmond (10%, 1 mi), Oakland (9%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Pablo walkable?
San Pablo is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.5 out of 20, and 9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Pablo without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 75% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Pablo, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Pablo
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.