Households in South Taft earn less than those in 94% of U.S. towns
Working from home is the commute for 5% of workers (California 17%). 35.0% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.0% across California. The two grades for South Taft are D− for jobs and income and B+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in South Taft: the figures worth knowing
Fewer jobs are based in South Taft than ten years ago
Jobs counted in South Taft fell from 398 in 2013 to 156 in 2023, −61%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
South Taft and Taft trade workers both ways
Taft is the top workplace for South Taft residents (19%) and also where the most people who work in South Taft come from (36% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
South Taft is a place people come home to
There are 156 jobs based in South Taft, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. Day and night ↓
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 566 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
South Taft’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Taft is near the bottom of U.S. towns, #840 of 847 in California. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides South Taft’s grade.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Taft could be anywhere from D− to D.
South Taft works in goods: 41% of its jobs
156 jobs are based in South Taft.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Taft, 2013 → 2023: 398 → 156. 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 Taft’s own residents hold wherever they work.
19% of working residents work in Taft
Where South Taft clocks in
19% of workers
16% 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.
In and out of South Taft on a workday
On a workday 551 residents head out to work, 15 work right here, and 141 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,500 people are in South Taft on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.28 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.
Time on the road from South Taft: about 37 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Taft workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 937 commuters (the 5% 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 South Taft goes to work
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.
Most trips from South Taft start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South Taft is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns, #543 of 847 in California. Both inputs place South Taft 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 984 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 69% 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 0.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 49% 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). 13.2% of South Taft households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of South Taft’s commuters take a bus or train.
How South Taft compares with U.S. towns of 2,100 to 4,000
| # | 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% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Del Mar CA | 3,858 | $199K | 2.7% | 1.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Harmony Grove CA | 2,585 | $227K | 4.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 90 | Ross CA | 2,304 | $250K | 4.8% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,567 | Clearlake Oaks CA | 2,198 | $36K | 21.4% | 18.0% | 6% | D− |
| 4,568 | Greensboro AL | 2,195 | $27K | 42.1% | 5.8% | 17% | D− |
| 4,569 | South Taft CA | 2,939 | $43K | 35.0% | 13.6% | 3% | D− |
| 4,570 | Wofford Heights CA | 2,656 | $39K | 20.9% | 22.6% | 2% | D− |
| 4,571 | Brinkley AR | 2,468 | $39K | 25.7% | 16.7% | 24% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,618 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Taft, the top three, the last and three more from California.
19% of South Taft works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Taft workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Taft | – | D− | B+ | 37 min | $43,039 |
| Taft | 19% | C− | A | 19 min | $72,772 |
| Taft Heights | under 2% | D | C | 21 min | $54,034 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Taft. Darker towns draw more of South Taft’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 Taft: questions
What is the median household income in South Taft?
$43,039 (±$21,592) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Taft?
35.0%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Taft?
37 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Taft work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Taft (19%, 2 mi), Bakersfield (16%, 28 mi), Los Angeles (4%, 97 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is South Taft walkable?
South Taft is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Taft without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 13% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Taft, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Taft
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.