There are 1.8 jobs in South El Monte for every working resident, and 13,303 people commute in
South El Monte grades C+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. 13,916 jobs are based in South El Monte, against 7,773 working residents. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 4.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 17.5 in Los Angeles.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
South El Monte at work: what stands out
South El Monte is where the jobs are
South El Monte has 13,916 jobs, 1.8 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
South El Monte draws workers from far and wide
The 13,916 jobs in South El Monte are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 34%; the other 62% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
South El Monte makes and builds things
39% of the jobs based in South El Monte are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs South El Monte residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 16%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, 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: South El Monte’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South El Monte is better than 41% of U.S. towns, #576 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds South El Monte’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (20.9%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South El Monte could be anywhere from C to B.
The daily commute in and out of South El Monte
On a workday 7,160 residents head out to work and 613 work right here.
About 25,000 people are in South El Monte on a workday afternoon, 32% more than live here.
1.8 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Commuting in to South El Monte: where workers come from
Where South El Monte clocks in
6% of workers
4% 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.
South El Monte works in goods: 39% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South El Monte, 2014 → 2024: 15,560 → 13,916. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs South El Monte’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 27 minutes each way for South El Monte’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South El Monte workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,688 commuters (the 7% 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 South El Monte
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
South El Monte is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South El Monte is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #125 of 847 in California. Both inputs place South El Monte 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 8,244 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, 20% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 82% 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). 7.9% of South El Monte households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of South El Monte’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 2,023 U.S. towns of 13,000 to 26,000, South El Monte comes 1,462nd on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 99 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 134 | Coto de Caza CA | 15,190 | $244K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,460 | Lower Township NJ | 21,533 | $85K | 7.7% | 7.0% | 23% | C+ |
| 1,461 | Estelle LA | 16,341 | $79K | 17.0% | 7.8% | 1% | C+ |
| 1,462 | South El Monte CA | 18,963 | $73K | 20.9% | 7.4% | 8% | C+ |
| 1,463 | Hutchinson MN | 14,655 | $73K | 12.4% | 4.0% | 45% | C+ |
| 1,464 | Elfers FL | 15,006 | $56K | 14.8% | 3.9% | 3% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,023 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | 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 South El Monte, the top three, the last and three more from California.
South El Monte and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to El Monte (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South El Monte workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South El Monte | – | C+ | A | 27 min | $72,990 |
| El Monte | 6% | C+ | A | 28 min | $68,030 |
| Rosemead | 2% | B− | A | 27 min | $73,566 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South El Monte’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 2024, 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 South El Monte: questions
What is the median household income in South El Monte?
$72,990 (±$7,936) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South El Monte?
20.9%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South El Monte?
27 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South El Monte work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (14%, 21 mi), El Monte (6%, 2 mi), Industry (4%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is South El Monte walkable?
South El Monte is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.0 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South El Monte without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 20% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South El Monte, from the people who make the trip.
More of South El Monte
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.