Photo: Scott Catron from Sandy, Utah, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Alta draws 379 commuters a day, with 3.7 jobs for every working resident
Working residents average 11 minutes each way, next to 22 for Utah and 26 for the U.S. Employers in Alta report 380 jobs for 103 working residents. Hardly any work in Alta; the top destination outside it is Salt Lake City (31%, 21 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who leaves Alta for work, and who comes in
On a workday 102 residents head out to work and 1 work right here.
About 500 people are in Alta on a workday afternoon, 122% more 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.
Where Alta’s workforce comes from
Where Alta clocks in
31% of workers
12% of workers
9% 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.
Most jobs in Alta are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alta, 2013 → 2023: 105 → 380. 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 Alta’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Alta: about 11 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 3.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alta workers work from home, vs 18% across Utah. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 145 commuters (the 21% who work from home are left out). Across Utah: 82% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Alta goes to work
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.
Work in the towns next to Alta
The biggest share goes to Brighton (9%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alta workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alta | – | — | — | 11 min | — |
| Brighton | 9% | — | — | 18 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Brighton: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Alta’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 Alta: questions
What is the poverty rate in Alta?
49.3%, against 8.5% across Utah and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alta?
11 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Utah and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alta work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Salt Lake City (31%, 21 mi), Sandy (12%, 12 mi), Brighton (9%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Alta without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alta, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alta
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.