County to County Commute Patterns
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Commuting, the flow of workers from one area to another, promotes efficient labor markets. Workers who are willing and able to travel outside their home area will have access to a greater number of job opportunities, and employers can manage costs better when they have more applicants for their jobs. In areas where labor force participation is low, such as retirement communities, employers can recruit commuters to provide goods and services to the area.
The U.S. Census Bureau collects worker data in the American Community Survey (ACS). While commuting flow estimates are not included in standard ACS data releases, the Census Bureau DOES release commuting flow tables every five years.
Prior to the creation of the ACS, LMID developed commute maps based on decennial census data about California residents and county commuting flow estimates. Responses to the decennial census long-form questionnaire provided the data at the county level about California residents and how far they travel to work. The U.S. Census Bureau uses "Residence County" for where people live and "Work County" for where people work.
LMID developed state and county maps to show the trip origins for people who work in each county and the work destinations for people who live in each county. The county commute pattern maps show the number of commuters to and from surrounding counties. The statewide maps show the percentage and number of commuters into and out of California counties.
Statewide Commuting Patterns
County-to-County Commute Patterns
County-to-County Commute Maps (PDF)
County-to-County Commute Maps – Archives
- Statewide Commute Patterns Maps (ACS2009-2013)
- County Commute Patterns Maps (ACS 2009-2013) (Zip File)
- Statewide Commute Patterns Maps (ACS 2006-2010)
- County Commute Patterns Maps (ACS 2006-2010) (Zip File)
- Statewide Commute Patterns Maps (based on 2000 Census Data)
- County Commute Patterns Maps (based on 2000 Census Data) (Zip File)