West Puente Valley has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.9 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 17.5 in Los Angeles. Employers in West Puente Valley report 1,325 jobs; 9,565 of its residents have a job. The two grades for West Puente Valley are B for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in West Puente Valley
West Puente Valley is a place people come home to
There are 1,325 jobs based in West Puente Valley, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday West Puente Valley has about 14,000 people in it, 37% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
West Puente Valley’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside West Puente Valley is Los Angeles, 26 miles away as the crow flies. 14% of working residents (1,347) 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for West Puente Valley
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Puente Valley is better than 57% of U.S. towns, #431 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds West Puente Valley’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (6.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Puente Valley could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
In and out of West Puente Valley on a workday
On a workday 9,379 residents head out to work, 186 work right here, and 1,139 people come in from elsewhere.
About 14,000 people are in West Puente Valley 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.
How far West Puente Valley’s workers travel
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.
14% of working residents work in Los Angeles
Where West Puente Valley clocks in
7% 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.
What West Puente Valley’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Puente Valley, 2014 → 2024: 1,142 → 1,325. 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 West Puente Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
West Puente Valley’s commute takes about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Puente Valley workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,890 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.
Good to walk, short on transit: West Puente Valley
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Puente Valley is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns, #278 of 847 in California. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.8% 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 9,653 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, 57% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 87% 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). 8.2% of West Puente Valley households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of West Puente Valley’s commuters take a bus or train.
West Puente Valley places 993rd of 1,658 on jobs and income among 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% | 6% | 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 |
| … | |||||||
| 991 | Southold NY | 24,260 | $117K | 5.6% | 6.5% | 34% | B |
| 992 | Rockton Township IL | 16,144 | $77K | 9.4% | 4.7% | 10% | B |
| 993 | West Puente Valley CA | 22,495 | $88K | 13.2% | 6.8% | 2% | B |
| 994 | Erlanger KY | 20,158 | $76K | 13.7% | 4.3% | 6% | B |
| 995 | Wooster OH | 27,115 | $67K | 9.2% | 3.8% | 39% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,658 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | 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 Puente Valley, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Work next door: 14% of West Puente Valley’s workers
The biggest share goes to Industry (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Puente Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Puente Valley | – | B | A | 32 min | $88,279 |
| La Puente | 2% | B | A | 31 min | $86,602 |
| Baldwin Park | 2% | B | A | 29 min | $80,663 |
| West Covina | 3% | B+ | A− | 33 min | $101,065 |
| Industry | 7% | — | — | 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 Puente Valley’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 West Puente Valley: questions
What is the median household income in West Puente Valley?
$88,279 (±$8,633) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Puente Valley?
13.2%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Puente Valley?
32 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Puente Valley work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Los Angeles (14%, 26 mi), Industry (7%, 2 mi), West Covina (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is West Puente Valley walkable?
West Puente Valley is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.7 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Puente Valley without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 57% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Puente Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Puente Valley
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.