Smith River has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.5 for each
Employers in Smith River report 121 jobs, against 249 working residents. Only 4% work in Smith River; the top destination outside it is Crescent City (18%, 11 miles). For 0% of workers, the job is at home, where California as a whole has 17%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Smith River at work: what stands out
Commutes from Smith River are quick
The average trip to work takes 14 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 115 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
37% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Few Smith River workers work from home
Only 0% of workers work from home, against 17% across California. Almost everyone here travels to a job. 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; with 249 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Getting to work from Smith River takes about 14 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Smith River workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 357 commuters (the 0% 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.
Miles to work from Smith River
About 37% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Who leaves Smith River for work, and who comes in
On a workday 239 residents head out to work, 10 work right here, and 111 people come in from elsewhere.
About 770 people are in Smith River on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
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 Smith River goes to work
Where Smith River clocks in
18% of workers
10% of workers
3% 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.
Making and building: 40% of jobs based in Smith River
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Smith River, 2013 → 2023: 99 → 121. 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 Smith River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
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 Smith River: questions
What is the poverty rate in Smith River?
16.9%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Smith River?
14 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Smith River work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Crescent City (18%, 11 mi), Brookings (10%, 13 mi), Arcata (3%, 73 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Smith River without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Smith River, from the people who make the trip.
More of Smith River
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.