Most of San Rafael commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
38 jobs are based in San Rafael, against 241 working residents. San Rafael grades C− for jobs and income and D− for walkability. Household incomes here are higher than in 60% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
San Rafael and work: the main findings
A big share show a job far from home
53% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
San Rafael and Grants trade workers both ways
Grants is the top workplace for San Rafael residents (25%) and also where the most people who work in San Rafael come from (50% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
San Rafael is a place people come home to
There are 38 jobs based in San Rafael, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. Day and night ↓
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; with 241 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
San Rafael’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty and job access, San Rafael is better than 23% of U.S. towns. Household income holds San Rafael’s grade up ($83,423, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (near the bottom of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (11.2%) is left out: San Rafael’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, San Rafael could be anywhere from D− to B+.
Miles to work from San Rafael
About 53% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
25% of working residents work in Grants
Where San Rafael clocks in
17% of workers
7% 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.
How many people are in San Rafael by day
On a workday 240 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 37 people come in from elsewhere.
About 840 people are in San Rafael on a workday afternoon, 20% 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.
Jobs in San Rafael: what the 38 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Rafael, 2013 → 2023: 1 → 38. 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 San Rafael’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Working from home in San Rafael
of San Rafael workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 242 commuters (the 15% who work from home are left out). Across New Mexico: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
San Rafael is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, San Rafael is near the bottom of U.S. towns. Both inputs place San Rafael 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 286 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 0.0% of San Rafael households have no vehicle (New Mexico 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of San Rafael’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, San Rafael is 1,987th among 3,133 U.S. towns of 700 to 1,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 386 | Santa Ana Pueblo NM | 1,026 | $86K | 5.5% | 2.9% | 19% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 663 | Barton NM | 1,302 | $82K | 6.6% | 5.8% | 1% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 790 | Atoka NM | 1,347 | $84K | 3.3% | 0.0% | 3% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,985 | Rodney Village DE | 1,331 | $44K | 16.2% | 3.3% | 1% | C− |
| 1,986 | Waterflow NM | 1,140 | $61K | 12.7% | 10.5% | 5% | C− |
| 1,987 | San Rafael NM | 1,039 | $83K | 13.4% | 11.2% | <1% | C− |
| 1,988 | Clay KY | 1,004 | $61K | 9.6% | 3.7% | 7% | C− |
| 1,989 | Elwood Township IL | 1,383 | $54K | 8.3% | 7.0% | 6% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,133 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 0% | 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 San Rafael, the top three, the last and three more from New Mexico.
Work next door: 25% of San Rafael’s workers
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Rafael workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Rafael | – | C− | D− | — | $83,423 |
| Grants | 25% | D− | A− | 16 min | $47,183 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Grants. Darker towns draw more of San Rafael’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 San Rafael: questions
What is the median household income in San Rafael?
$83,423 (±$24,769) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Rafael?
13.4%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
Where do people who live in San Rafael work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Grants (25%, 6 mi), Albuquerque (17%, 71 mi), Milan (7%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Rafael walkable?
San Rafael is near the bottom of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 2.7 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Rafael without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Rafael, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Rafael
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.