At 9.3%, unemployment in South Oroville is higher than in 93% of U.S. towns
Working from home is the commute for 4% of workers, where California as a whole has 17%. The two grades for South Oroville are D for jobs and income and C for walkability. Only 3% stay in South Oroville for work; outside it, Oroville is the main destination (31%, 2 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from South Oroville, in brief
A lot of South Oroville works one town over
37% of working residents work in a town that borders South Oroville: Oroville (31%) and Oroville East (6%). Next door ↓
Few South Oroville workers work from home
Only 4% of workers work from home, against 17% across California. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
Commutes from South Oroville are quick
The average trip to work takes 23 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in South Oroville
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Oroville is better than 10% of U.S. towns, #778 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds South Oroville’s grade up (ahead of 36% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (33.7%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Oroville could be anywhere from D− to C.
About 23 minutes to work from South Oroville
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Oroville workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,048 commuters (the 4% 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.
The daily commute in and out of South Oroville
On a workday 1,067 residents head out to work, 28 work right here, and 510 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,300 people are in South Oroville on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.49 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 2024, primary jobs.
Commuting out of South Oroville: the destinations
Where South Oroville clocks in
31% of workers
12% 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.
Jobs in South Oroville: what the 538 are
538 jobs are based in South Oroville.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Oroville, 2014 → 2024: 491 → 538. 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 Oroville’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where in the region South Oroville works
About 29% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Most of South Oroville commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South Oroville is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns, #779 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 7.1% across California.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,088 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 6.0% of South Oroville households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of South Oroville’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,703 U.S. towns of 2,000 to 3,800, South Oroville comes 4,142nd on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Harmony Grove CA | 2,585 | $227K | 4.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 87 | Ross CA | 2,304 | $250K | 4.8% | 0.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 113 | Fairbanks Ranch CA | 2,703 | $250K | 5.5% | 0.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,140 | Sherman Township MI | 3,236 | $61K | 24.8% | 5.4% | 3% | D |
| 4,141 | White Mountain Lake AZ | 2,910 | $50K | 15.9% | 4.8% | 2% | D |
| 4,142 | South Oroville CA | 2,846 | $65K | 33.7% | 9.3% | 3% | D |
| 4,143 | North Lakeport CA | 2,995 | $64K | 21.5% | 6.8% | 4% | D |
| 4,144 | North Fork CA | 2,999 | $72K | 15.1% | 11.6% | 5% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 4,703 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 0% | 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 Oroville, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Next door is work for 37% of South Oroville
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Oroville workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Oroville | – | D | C | 23 min | $65,409 |
| Oroville | 31% | D | B+ | 20 min | $52,270 |
| Palermo | under 2% | D | C | 29 min | $50,588 |
| Oroville East | 6% | C+ | D | 29 min | $94,512 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Oroville. Darker towns draw more of South Oroville’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 Oroville: questions
What is the median household income in South Oroville?
$65,409 (±$14,066) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Oroville?
33.7%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Oroville?
23 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Oroville work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Oroville (31%, 2 mi), Chico (12%, 24 mi), Oroville East (6%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is South Oroville walkable?
South Oroville is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Oroville without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Oroville, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Oroville
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.