Photo: FASTILY · CC BY-SA 4.0San Ramon has higher household incomes than 98% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 37.5 in San Francisco. Below the poverty line: 4.4% of residents, next to 12.0% across California. Jobs and income earn San Ramon A; getting around on foot earns it A.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in San Ramon
San Ramon trades workers with the towns around it
San Ramon has about as many jobs (35,617) as working residents (38,721), but they are mostly different people: 34,832 residents leave for work each day while 31,728 people come in. Only 11% of the jobs in San Ramon are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of San Ramon works from home
34% of San Ramon workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
81% of San Ramon’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 76% of the jobs based in San Ramon. The jobs ↓
San Ramon’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside San Ramon is San Francisco, 27 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (4,368) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
San Ramon workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 35 minutes each way, against 29 across California. Over a year that’s about 268 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical 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.
The four measures behind San Ramon’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, San Ramon is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #92 of 847 in California. Household income holds San Ramon’s grade up ($196,161, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.2%, 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 Ramon could be anywhere from A− to A.
In and out of San Ramon on a workday
On a workday 34,832 residents head out to work, 3,889 work right here, and 31,728 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 (0.92 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.
About 35 minutes each way, longer than most of California
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of San Ramon workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 28,101 commuters (the 34% 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.
76% of the jobs in San Ramon pay over $3,333 a month
35,617 jobs are based in San Ramon.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Ramon, 2013 → 2023: 40,008 → 35,617. 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 Ramon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far San Ramon’s workers travel
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 San Francisco
Where San Ramon clocks in
7% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: San Ramon
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, San Ramon is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns, #178 of 847 in California. Both inputs place San Ramon 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 42,495 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 51% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 9% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 74% 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). 3.7% of San Ramon households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of San Ramon’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, San Ramon is 80th among 534 U.S. towns of 60,000 to 116,000
| # | 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 |
| … | |||||||
| 78 | Pleasanton CA | 74,556 | $190K | 5.3% | 4.8% | 15% | A |
| 79 | Macomb Township MI | 95,099 | $121K | 4.4% | 4.4% | 5% | A |
| 80 | San Ramon CA | 86,209 | $196K | 4.4% | 5.2% | 10% | A |
| 81 | Broomfield CO | 79,174 | $124K | 6.2% | 3.8% | 12% | A |
| 82 | Rockville MD | 67,563 | $129K | 7.6% | 3.9% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 534 | 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 Ramon, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Work in the towns next to San Ramon
The biggest share goes to Danville (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Ramon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Ramon | – | A | A | 35 min | $196,161 |
| Norris Canyon | under 3% | A+ | C− | 38 min | $250,000+ |
| Danville | 3% | A | A | 33 min | $232,216 |
| Dublin | 2% | A | A+ | 36 min | $214,385 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of San Ramon’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 Ramon: questions
What is the median household income in San Ramon?
$196,161 (±$11,535) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Ramon?
4.4%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from San Ramon?
35 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 34% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in San Ramon work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (11%, 27 mi), Pleasanton (7%, 7 mi), Oakland (6%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Ramon walkable?
San Ramon is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.1 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Ramon without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 9% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Ramon, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Ramon
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.