Photo: Biochemistry2016 · CC BY-SA 4.0With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of West Carson works elsewhere
There are 5,144 jobs in West Carson; 10,327 of its residents have a job. The two grades for West Carson are B+ for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 5.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 17.5 in Los Angeles.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in West Carson: the gist
Where West Carson’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Carson is better than 72% of U.S. towns, #264 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds West Carson’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.4%, 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, West Carson could be anywhere from B to A.
25% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where West Carson clocks in
13% 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.
Who works in West Carson, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 10,043 residents head out to work, 284 work right here, and 4,860 people come in from elsewhere.
About 17,000 people are in West Carson on a workday afternoon, 23% 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 2023, primary jobs.
The kinds of work in West Carson
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Carson, 2013 → 2023: 4,809 → 5,144. 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 West Carson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 27 minutes in West Carson
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Carson workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,209 commuters (the 13% 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 commute from West Carson, by distance
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: West Carson
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Carson is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns, #350 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.8% 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 10,558 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, 24% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 85% 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). 7.6% of West Carson households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of West Carson’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, West Carson is 736th of 1,658 U.S. towns of 16,000 to 30,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 40 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 146 | Lafayette CA | 25,313 | $228K | 2.9% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 178 | La Cañada Flintridge CA | 19,480 | $242K | 3.5% | 5.0% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 734 | Kapolei HI | 22,232 | $128K | 6.3% | 6.7% | 13% | B+ |
| 735 | Frederickson WA | 25,383 | $110K | 5.7% | 5.7% | 3% | B+ |
| 736 | West Carson CA | 22,143 | $93K | 8.7% | 5.4% | 3% | B+ |
| 737 | Waterford CT | 20,435 | $105K | 4.6% | 5.6% | 14% | B+ |
| 738 | Swatara Township PA | 27,936 | $80K | 8.3% | 3.7% | 9% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,658 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 West Carson, the top three, the last and three more from California.
West Carson and its neighbors: 28% work next door
The biggest share goes to Los Angeles (25%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Carson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Carson | – | B+ | A− | 27 min | $92,775 |
| Los Angeles | 25% | B− | A+ | 31 min | $81,939 |
| Carson | 3% | B+ | A | 28 min | $108,703 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Carson’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 West Carson: questions
What is the median household income in West Carson?
$92,775 (±$11,033) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Carson?
8.7%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Carson?
27 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Carson work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (25%, 15 mi), Torrance (13%, 4 mi), Long Beach (5%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Carson walkable?
West Carson is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 14.9 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Carson without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 24% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Carson, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Carson
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.