More people are out of work in San Leon (11.1%) than in 96% of U.S. towns
A typical one-way commute lasts 33 minutes, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. San Leon grades B− for jobs and income and C− for walkability. About one in ten stay in San Leon for work; outside it, Houston is the main destination (24%, 34 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in San Leon: the gist
Fewer jobs are based in San Leon than ten years ago
Jobs counted in San Leon fell from 1,724 in 2013 to 589 in 2023, −66%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
San Leon’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside San Leon is Houston, 34 miles away as the crow flies. 24% of working residents (600) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside San Leon
55% of San Leon residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 34% of the jobs based in San Leon pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 91% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
San Leon workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 27 across Texas. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
San Leon’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, San Leon is better than 48% of U.S. towns, #304 of 642 in Texas. Job access by car holds San Leon’s grade up (ahead of 83% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, San Leon could be anywhere from C to A.
The kinds of work in San Leon
589 jobs are based in San Leon.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Leon, 2013 → 2023: 1,724 → 589. 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 Leon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from San Leon
About 16% 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.
About 33 minutes to work from San Leon
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of San Leon workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,820 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across Texas: 83% 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.
A workday in San Leon: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 2,240 residents head out to work, 211 work right here, and 378 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,600 people are in San Leon on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.24 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 places San Leon commutes to
Where San Leon clocks in
24% 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.
Getting around San Leon: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, San Leon is more walkable than 21% of U.S. towns, #531 of 642 in Texas. Both inputs place San Leon 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 3,175 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). 4.3% of San Leon households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of San Leon’s commuters take a bus or train.
San Leon is 1,900th of 3,306 U.S. towns of 4,500 to 8,700 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| 4 | Haslet TX | 5,267 | $169K | 2.1% | 0.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Hickory Creek TX | 6,875 | $149K | 2.6% | 1.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Alamo Heights TX | 7,632 | $183K | 2.5% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,898 | Springtown TX | 5,204 | $75K | 10.7% | 5.7% | 11% | B− |
| 1,899 | Vermilion Township OH | 4,741 | $73K | 5.9% | 7.9% | 5% | B− |
| 1,900 | San Leon TX | 6,458 | $75K | 8.5% | 11.1% | 9% | B− |
| 1,901 | Phoenix OR | 4,920 | $67K | 11.5% | 3.5% | 3% | B− |
| 1,902 | Smithfield Township PA | 7,890 | $106K | 9.0% | 7.3% | 6% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,306 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Leon, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
Around San Leon: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Texas City (6%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Leon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Leon | – | B− | C− | 33 min | $75,446 |
| Texas City | 6% | C+ | B | 26 min | $68,776 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of San Leon’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 Leon: questions
What is the median household income in San Leon?
$75,446 (±$18,703) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Leon?
8.5%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from San Leon?
33 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in San Leon work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Houston (24%, 34 mi), League City (7%, 10 mi), Texas City (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Leon walkable?
San Leon is more walkable than 21% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.9 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Leon without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Leon, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Leon
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.