Photo: Utilizer · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Walnut Creek earn more than those in 92% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.1 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.5 in San Francisco. 6.4% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.0% across California. The two grades for Walnut Creek are A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Walnut Creek: the gist
A lot of Walnut Creek works from home
31% of Walnut Creek workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Walnut Creek is where the jobs are
Walnut Creek has 53,279 jobs, 1.9 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
78% of Walnut Creek’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 74% of the jobs based in Walnut Creek. The jobs ↓
Walnut Creek’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Walnut Creek is San Francisco, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 18% of working residents (5,023) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Walnut Creek draws workers from far and wide
The 53,279 jobs in Walnut Creek are filled from a wide area. Walnut Creek’s own residents hold 6% and the ten next-biggest home towns 33%; the other 61% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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.
Where Walnut Creek’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Walnut Creek is better than 79% of U.S. towns, #179 of 847 in California. Household income holds Walnut Creek’s grade up ($130,432, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (6.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Walnut Creek could be anywhere from B+ to A.
From Walnut Creek, about 31 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Walnut Creek workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 22,748 commuters (the 31% 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.
Walnut Creek by day and by night
On a workday 24,897 residents head out to work, 3,353 work right here, and 49,926 people come in from elsewhere.
About 95,000 people are in Walnut Creek on a workday afternoon, 36% more than live here.
1.9 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 2023, primary jobs.
Services make up most of the work in Walnut Creek
53,279 jobs are based in Walnut Creek.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Walnut Creek, 2013 → 2023: 52,136 → 53,279. 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 Walnut Creek’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where in the region Walnut Creek works
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.
The daily trip into Walnut Creek
Where Walnut Creek clocks in
8% of workers
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.
Walnut Creek is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Walnut Creek is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns, #78 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Walnut Creek 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 32,858 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 62% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 22% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 89% 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). 7.1% of Walnut Creek households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 9% of Walnut Creek’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 49,000 to 95,000, Walnut Creek ranks 202nd of 643 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 35 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 200 | Oak Park IL | 52,823 | $111K | 7.4% | 5.6% | 10% | A− |
| 201 | Placentia CA | 54,911 | $116K | 7.9% | 5.5% | 6% | A− |
| 202 | Walnut Creek CA | 70,012 | $130K | 6.4% | 6.0% | 12% | A− |
| 203 | Orland Park IL | 57,954 | $99K | 7.3% | 4.8% | 9% | A− |
| 204 | Blue Springs MO | 61,632 | $89K | 7.0% | 3.5% | 14% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 643 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Walnut Creek, the top three, the last and three more from California.
How Walnut Creek compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Concord (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Walnut Creek workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Creek | – | A− | A+ | 31 min | $130,432 |
| Saranap | under 2% | A | A+ | 29 min | $157,347 |
| Acalanes Ridge | under 2% | A+ | A | 27 min | $181,094 |
| Contra Costa Centre | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 34 min | $121,313 |
| North Gate | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Alamo | under 2% | A+ | A | 29 min | $250,000+ |
| Pleasant Hill | 2% | A− | A+ | 30 min | $145,029 |
| Reliez Valley | under 2% | A− | A− | 29 min | $249,864 |
| Concord | 5% | B+ | A+ | 33 min | $108,709 |
| Lafayette | under 2% | A | A | 29 min | $228,250 |
| Castle Hill | under 2% | A+ | C+ | 29 min | $250,000+ |
Same-state neighbors only. North Gate: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Walnut Creek’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 Walnut Creek: questions
What is the median household income in Walnut Creek?
$130,432 (±$8,895) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Walnut Creek?
6.4%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Walnut Creek?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 31% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Walnut Creek work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (18%, 23 mi), Oakland (8%, 14 mi), Concord (5%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Walnut Creek walkable?
Walnut Creek is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.6 out of 20, and 14% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Walnut Creek without a car?
9% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 22% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Walnut Creek, from the people who make the trip.
More of Walnut Creek
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.