Photo: Nsaum75 · CC BY-SA 3.0Santa Fe has higher unemployment (8.5%) than 90% of U.S. towns
Household incomes here are higher than in 76% of U.S. towns. Jobs and income earn Santa Fe B; getting around on foot earns it C. Only 6% stay in Santa Fe for work; outside it, Houston is the main destination (25%, 32 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Santa Fe, in brief
Santa Fe’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Santa Fe is Houston, 33 miles away as the crow flies. 25% of working residents (1,543) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Santa Fe has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Santa Fe went from 1,747 in 2013 to 2,403 in 2023, +38%. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Santa Fe
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Santa Fe is better than 57% of U.S. towns, #264 of 642 in Texas. Job access by car holds Santa Fe’s grade up (ahead of 86% 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, Santa Fe could be anywhere from B− to A−.
How far Santa Fe’s workers travel
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.
What work there is in Santa Fe: 2,403 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Santa Fe, 2013 → 2023: 1,747 → 2,403. 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 Santa Fe’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Santa Fe
On a workday 5,914 residents head out to work, 354 work right here, and 2,049 people come in from elsewhere.
About 10,000 people are in Santa Fe on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
0.38 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.
Where people from Santa Fe work
Where Santa Fe clocks in
25% of workers
11% 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 long Santa Fe spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Santa Fe workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,916 commuters (the 7% 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.
For most of Santa Fe, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Santa Fe is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns, #481 of 642 in Texas. Both inputs place Santa Fe 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 5,313 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). 1.7% of Santa Fe households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Santa Fe’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Santa Fe is 1,238th of 2,227 U.S. towns of 10,000 to 19,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Lantana TX | 12,766 | $199K | 0.6% | 2.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 66 | Bellaire TX | 17,434 | $244K | 2.4% | 3.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,236 | Davenport FL | 18,110 | $74K | 14.0% | 2.7% | 1% | B |
| 1,237 | Hartsville/Trousdale County TN | 12,623 | $73K | 11.9% | 0.6% | 14% | B |
| 1,238 | Santa Fe TX | 13,913 | $99K | 10.4% | 8.5% | 6% | B |
| 1,239 | Amelia OH | 12,871 | $71K | 13.0% | 2.7% | 2% | B |
| 1,240 | Heartland TX | 10,607 | $93K | 9.2% | 11.5% | <1% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 2,227 | 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 Santa Fe, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
The towns around Santa Fe
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
Darker towns draw more of Santa Fe’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 Santa Fe: questions
What is the median household income in Santa Fe?
$99,190 (±$9,589) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Santa Fe?
10.4%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Santa Fe?
28 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Santa Fe work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Houston (25%, 32 mi), Galveston (11%, 16 mi), Texas City (8%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Santa Fe walkable?
Santa Fe is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.2 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Santa Fe without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Santa Fe, from the people who make the trip.
More of Santa Fe
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.