Photo: Wehwalt · CC BY-SA 3.0South Pasadena’s household incomes are higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
4.9% of residents live below the poverty line, where California as a whole has 12.0%. Jobs and income earn South Pasadena A; getting around on foot earns it A+. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.9 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 17.5 in Los Angeles.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in South Pasadena, in a few figures
Much of South Pasadena works one town over
47% of working residents work in a town that borders South Pasadena: Los Angeles (35%), Pasadena (10%) and Alhambra (2%). Next door ↓
A lot of South Pasadena works from home
30% of South Pasadena workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside South Pasadena
72% of South Pasadena residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 51% of the jobs based in South Pasadena pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in South Pasadena
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Pasadena is better than 89% of U.S. towns, #83 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds South Pasadena’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Pasadena could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Commuting from South Pasadena: about 30 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Pasadena workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,724 commuters (the 30% 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.
In South Pasadena, services account for most jobs
8,212 jobs are based in South Pasadena.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Pasadena, 2013 → 2023: 6,417 → 8,212. 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 South Pasadena’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes South Pasadena
On a workday 10,529 residents head out to work, 599 work right here, and 7,613 people come in from elsewhere.
About 23,000 people are in South Pasadena on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
0.74 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.
35% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where South Pasadena clocks in
10% 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 Pasadena’s commute, mile by mile
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.
South Pasadena is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South Pasadena is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #100 of 847 in California. Both inputs place South Pasadena 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 13,874 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 93% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 53% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 91% 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). 3.1% of South Pasadena households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of South Pasadena’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, South Pasadena is 310th among 1,516 U.S. towns of 18,000 to 34,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 35 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 98 | Manhattan Beach CA | 33,122 | $204K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 116 | Saratoga CA | 30,418 | $250K | 3.3% | 4.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 308 | Minneola FL | 21,064 | $111K | 4.7% | 3.0% | 2% | A |
| 309 | Oakdale MN | 30,588 | $94K | 5.7% | 3.2% | 6% | A |
| 310 | South Pasadena CA | 25,503 | $127K | 4.9% | 5.1% | 5% | A |
| 311 | Hawthorne NJ | 20,169 | $110K | 4.0% | 5.1% | 7% | A |
| 312 | Jenks OK | 28,175 | $111K | 6.8% | 2.6% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,516 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 Pasadena, the top three, the last and three more from California.
47% of South Pasadena works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Los Angeles (35%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Pasadena workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Pasadena | – | A | A+ | 30 min | $127,175 |
| Los Angeles | 35% | B− | A+ | 31 min | $81,939 |
| Pasadena | 10% | B+ | A+ | 27 min | $105,192 |
| San Marino | under 1% | A | A | 27 min | $214,167 |
| Alhambra | 2% | B | A | 30 min | $88,024 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Pasadena’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 South Pasadena: questions
What is the median household income in South Pasadena?
$127,175 (±$12,727) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Pasadena?
4.9%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Pasadena?
30 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 30% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Pasadena work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (35%, 16 mi), Pasadena (10%, 4 mi), Burbank (4%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is South Pasadena walkable?
South Pasadena is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.3 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Pasadena without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 53% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Pasadena, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Pasadena
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.