Photo: ASDFGH · CC BY-SA 4.0Unemployment in West Covina (6.5%) is higher than in 78% of U.S. towns
Only 7% work in West Covina; the top destination outside it is Los Angeles (16%, 29 miles). West Covina grades B+ for jobs and income and A− for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.3 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
The work figures that set West Covina apart
West Covina’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside West Covina is Los Angeles, 29 miles away as the crow flies. 16% of working residents (7,195) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
West Covina draws workers from far and wide
The 27,051 jobs in West Covina are filled from a wide area. West Covina’s own residents hold 11% and the ten next-biggest home towns 25%; the other 64% 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.
What’s behind West Covina’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Covina is better than 68% of U.S. towns, #322 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds West Covina’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Covina could be anywhere from B to B+.
Where in the region West Covina 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.
Where people from West Covina work
Where West Covina clocks in
5% of workers
3% 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.
The daily commute in and out of West Covina
On a workday 42,595 residents head out to work, 3,059 work right here, and 23,992 people come in from elsewhere.
About 87,000 people are in West Covina on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.59 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.
The kinds of work in West Covina
27,051 jobs are based in West Covina.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Covina, 2013 → 2023: 24,577 → 27,051. 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 Covina’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from West Covina takes about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Covina workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 43,222 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: West Covina
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Covina is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns, #339 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.2% 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 49,819 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, 26% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 5.4% of West Covina households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of West Covina’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
West Covina places 175th of 409 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 74,000 to 142,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| 3 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Berkeley CA | 121,911 | $108K | 17.3% | 5.6% | 21% | A |
| 21 | Mountain View CA | 85,438 | $190K | 6.0% | 3.7% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Livermore CA | 83,457 | $161K | 4.9% | 3.6% | 23% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 173 | Iowa City IA | 76,229 | $59K | 26.3% | 4.6% | 57% | B+ |
| 174 | Santa Monica CA | 90,082 | $115K | 11.2% | 6.7% | 17% | B+ |
| 175 | West Covina CA | 105,301 | $101K | 10.0% | 6.5% | 7% | B+ |
| 176 | Manchester NH | 116,818 | $81K | 11.2% | 3.3% | 36% | B+ |
| 177 | Orem UT | 95,214 | $83K | 10.2% | 3.9% | 21% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 409 | Flint MI | 79,306 | $38K | 34.1% | 14.8% | 20% | 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 Covina, the top three, the last and three more from California.
10% of West Covina works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Industry (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Covina workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Covina | – | B+ | A− | 33 min | $101,065 |
| Valinda | under 2% | A− | A− | 30 min | $100,165 |
| Covina | 3% | B+ | A | 31 min | $98,671 |
| Walnut | under 2% | A | A | 34 min | $129,449 |
| Baldwin Park | 2% | B | A | 29 min | $80,663 |
| South San Jose Hills | under 2% | B | A | 29 min | $94,806 |
| Vincent | under 2% | B+ | A− | 31 min | $100,443 |
| West Puente Valley | under 2% | B | A | 32 min | $88,279 |
| La Puente | under 2% | B | A | 31 min | $86,602 |
| Irwindale | under 2% | A+ | A | 27 min | $114,167 |
| Industry | 5% | — | — | 26 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Industry: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Covina’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 Covina: questions
What is the median household income in West Covina?
$101,065 (±$2,793) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Covina?
10.0%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Covina?
33 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 Covina work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (16%, 29 mi), Industry (5%, 3 mi), Covina (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Covina walkable?
West Covina is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 13.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Covina without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 26% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Covina, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Covina
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.