South Whittier has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 17.5 in Los Angeles. South Whittier has 4,736 jobs; 25,094 of its residents have a job. For jobs and income South Whittier is better than 74% of U.S. towns (B+); for walkability it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns (A−).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in South Whittier: the gist
South Whittier is a place people come home to
There are 4,736 jobs based in South Whittier, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday South Whittier has about 35,000 people in it, 37% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
South Whittier’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside South Whittier is Los Angeles, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 13% of working residents (3,351) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
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.
Why South Whittier gets the Jobs & income grade it does
Job access by car holds South Whittier’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Whittier could be anywhere from B to A−.
The workday shuffle in and out of South Whittier
On a workday 24,503 residents head out to work, 591 work right here, and 4,145 people come in from elsewhere.
About 35,000 people are in South Whittier on a workday afternoon, 37% 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 2024, primary jobs.
Short hops and long hauls from South Whittier
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.
13% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where South Whittier clocks in
5% 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 Whittier is a services town
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Whittier, 2014 → 2024: 3,780 → 4,736. 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 Whittier’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long South Whittier spends getting to work: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Whittier workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 25,120 commuters (the 8% 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.
South Whittier is easy on foot, hard by bus
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.3% 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 27,337 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, 29% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 69% 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). 4.6% of South Whittier households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of South Whittier’s commuters take a bus or train.
325th of 786: where South Whittier ranks among U.S. towns of 39,000 to 75,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 46 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 64 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 323 | Normal IL | 53,275 | $65K | 21.4% | 3.9% | 27% | B+ |
| 324 | Methuen MA | 54,584 | $113K | 7.9% | 5.8% | 11% | B+ |
| 325 | South Whittier CA | 55,650 | $101K | 10.6% | 4.7% | 2% | B+ |
| 326 | The Hammocks FL | 58,838 | $86K | 12.1% | 2.7% | 5% | B+ |
| 327 | Attleboro MA | 47,447 | $99K | 8.6% | 4.7% | 14% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 786 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 25% | 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 Whittier, the top three, the last and three more from California.
South Whittier and its neighbors: 11% work next door
The biggest share goes to Santa Fe Springs (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Whittier workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Whittier | – | B+ | A− | 31 min | $100,800 |
| Santa Fe Springs | 6% | B+ | B+ | 34 min | $88,238 |
| Whittier | 5% | B+ | A | 33 min | $97,201 |
| La Mirada | under 2% | A | A | 32 min | $109,288 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Whittier’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 Whittier: questions
What is the median household income in South Whittier?
$100,800 (±$4,774) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Whittier?
10.6%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Whittier?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Whittier work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (13%, 23 mi), Santa Fe Springs (6%, 2 mi), Anaheim (5%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is South Whittier walkable?
South Whittier is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Whittier without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 29% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Whittier, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Whittier
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.