Cities in California by employed residents

Los Angeles, CA had the highest employed residents of 285 cities in 2023, at 1.96 million. Paradise, CA had the lowest, at 2,097. The median was 29,294. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,960,870Los Angeles, CA
Lowest2,097Paradise, CA
Median29,294285 cities

Top 40 cities, 2023

Los Angeles, CA: 1,960,870 personsLos Angeles, CA1,960,870San Diego, CA: 711,265 personsSan Diego, CA711,265San Jose, CA: 514,181 personsSan Jose, CA514,181San Francisco, CA: 500,864 personsSan Francisco, CA500,864Sacramento, CA: 253,016 personsSacramento, CA253,016Fresno, CA: 235,002 personsFresno, CA235,002Long Beach, CA: 232,239 personsLong Beach, CA232,239Oakland, CA: 228,080 personsOakland, CA228,080Bakersfield, CA: 180,119 personsBakersfield, CA180,119Anaheim, CA: 170,057 personsAnaheim, CA170,057Irvine, CA: 156,087 personsIrvine, CA156,087Riverside, CA: 154,782 personsRiverside, CA154,782Santa Ana, CA: 153,328 personsSanta Ana, CA153,328Stockton, CA: 133,816 personsStockton, CA133,816Chula Vista, CA: 127,680 personsChula Vista, CA127,680Fremont, CA: 115,253 personsFremont, CA115,253Santa Clarita, CA: 113,953 personsSanta Clarita, CA113,953Fontana, CA: 101,913 personsFontana, CA101,913Huntington Beach, CA: 99,937 personsHuntington Beach, CA99,937San Bernardino, CA: 96,538 personsSan Bernardino, CA96,538Moreno Valley, CA: 95,660 personsMoreno Valley, CA95,660Oxnard, CA: 94,078 personsOxnard, CA94,078Modesto, CA: 93,249 personsModesto, CA93,249Glendale, CA: 91,047 personsGlendale, CA91,047Ontario, CA: 88,764 personsOntario, CA88,764Santa Rosa, CA: 88,247 personsSanta Rosa, CA88,247Rancho Cucamonga, CA: 86,907 personsRancho Cucamonga, CA86,907Sunnyvale, CA: 86,458 personsSunnyvale, CA86,458Oceanside, CA: 84,283 personsOceanside, CA84,283Elk Grove, CA: 82,992 personsElk Grove, CA82,992Garden Grove, CA: 81,557 personsGarden Grove, CA81,557Hayward, CA: 80,249 personsHayward, CA80,249Corona, CA: 80,125 personsCorona, CA80,125Roseville, CA: 76,679 personsRoseville, CA76,679Salinas, CA: 75,105 personsSalinas, CA75,105Santa Clara, CA: 74,925 personsSanta Clara, CA74,925Pasadena, CA: 74,276 personsPasadena, CA74,276Escondido, CA: 72,191 personsEscondido, CA72,191Orange, CA: 70,336 personsOrange, CA70,336Torrance, CA: 69,608 personsTorrance, CA69,608Los Angeles, CA: 1,960,870 personsLos Angeles, CA1,960,870San Diego, CA: 711,265 personsSan Diego, CA711,265San Jose, CA: 514,181 personsSan Jose, CA514,181San Francisco, CA: 500,864 personsSan Francisco, CA500,864Sacramento, CA: 253,016 personsSacramento, CA253,016Fresno, CA: 235,002 personsFresno, CA235,002Long Beach, CA: 232,239 personsLong Beach, CA232,239Oakland, CA: 228,080 personsOakland, CA228,080Bakersfield, CA: 180,119 personsBakersfield, CA180,119Anaheim, CA: 170,057 personsAnaheim, CA170,057Irvine, CA: 156,087 personsIrvine, CA156,087Riverside, CA: 154,782 personsRiverside, CA154,782Santa Ana, CA: 153,328 personsSanta Ana, CA153,328Stockton, CA: 133,816 personsStockton, CA133,816Chula Vista, CA: 127,680 personsChula Vista, CA127,680Fremont, CA: 115,253 personsFremont, CA115,253Santa Clarita, CA: 113,953 personsSanta Clarita, CA113,953Fontana, CA: 101,913 personsFontana, CA101,913Huntington Beach, CA: 99,937 personsHuntington Beach, CA99,937San Bernardino, CA: 96,538 personsSan Bernardino, CA96,538Moreno Valley, CA: 95,660 personsMoreno Valley, CA95,660Oxnard, CA: 94,078 personsOxnard, CA94,078Modesto, CA: 93,249 personsModesto, CA93,249Glendale, CA: 91,047 personsGlendale, CA91,047Ontario, CA: 88,764 personsOntario, CA88,764Santa Rosa, CA: 88,247 personsSanta Rosa, CA88,247Rancho Cucamonga, CA: 86,907 personsRancho Cucamonga, CA86,907Sunnyvale, CA: 86,458 personsSunnyvale, CA86,458Oceanside, CA: 84,283 personsOceanside, CA84,283Elk Grove, CA: 82,992 personsElk Grove, CA82,992Garden Grove, CA: 81,557 personsGarden Grove, CA81,557Hayward, CA: 80,249 personsHayward, CA80,249Corona, CA: 80,125 personsCorona, CA80,125Roseville, CA: 76,679 personsRoseville, CA76,679Salinas, CA: 75,105 personsSalinas, CA75,105Santa Clara, CA: 74,925 personsSanta Clara, CA74,925Pasadena, CA: 74,276 personsPasadena, CA74,276Escondido, CA: 72,191 personsEscondido, CA72,191Orange, CA: 70,336 personsOrange, CA70,336Torrance, CA: 69,608 personsTorrance, CA69,608
persons. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023
persons
Change on 2022
1Los Angeles, CA1,960,870+1%
2San Diego, CA711,265+1.8%
3San Jose, CA514,181+0.3%
4San Francisco, CA500,864-0.9%
5Sacramento, CA253,016+1.8%
6Fresno, CA235,002+3%
7Long Beach, CA232,239+0.1%
8Oakland, CA228,080+1.1%
9Bakersfield, CA180,119+1.8%
10Anaheim, CA170,057+0.6%
11Irvine, CA156,087+1.5%
12Riverside, CA154,782+1%
13Santa Ana, CA153,328+1.1%
14Stockton, CA133,816+0.1%
15Chula Vista, CA127,680+1.6%
16Fremont, CA115,253+0.5%
17Santa Clarita, CA113,953+0.6%
18Fontana, CA101,913+1.4%
19Huntington Beach, CA99,937+0.1%
20San Bernardino, CA96,538+1.2%
21Moreno Valley, CA95,660+1%
22Oxnard, CA94,078+0.5%
23Modesto, CA93,249+0.8%
24Glendale, CA91,047-0.1%
25Ontario, CA88,764+1.8%
26Santa Rosa, CA88,247+0.5%
27Rancho Cucamonga, CA86,907+0.9%
28Sunnyvale, CA86,458+0.7%
29Oceanside, CA84,283+0.9%
30Elk Grove, CA82,992+1.9%
31Garden Grove, CA81,557+1%
32Hayward, CA80,249+0.6%
33Corona, CA80,125+1.1%
34Roseville, CA76,679+3.2%
35Salinas, CA75,105-0.8%
36Santa Clara, CA74,925+1.2%
37Pasadena, CA74,276+0.7%
38Escondido, CA72,191+1%
39Orange, CA70,336+1.1%
40Torrance, CA69,608-0.2%
41Pomona, CA69,337+0.8%
42Palmdale, CA68,855+0.1%
43Fullerton, CA66,911+0.3%
44Lancaster, CA65,210+0.3%
45Visalia, CA65,071+2.1%
46Simi Valley, CA64,703+1%
47Costa Mesa, CA62,467+0.1%
48Concord, CA61,928+0.2%
49Berkeley, CA60,831+1.1%
50Thousand Oaks, CA60,335+0.3%
51San Mateo, CA59,075-1.4%
52Daly City, CA58,467-1.6%
53Clovis, CA57,942+3.8%
54Vallejo, CA57,747+0.9%
55Richmond, CA56,0650%
56Antioch, CA55,580+1.4%
57Downey, CA55,1500%
58Fairfield, CA54,774+2.2%
59San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA54,595+1%
60Carlsbad, CA54,296+0.8%
61Burbank, CA53,350+0.3%
62West Covina, CA52,386+0.9%
63Inglewood, CA52,256-0.2%
64Victorville, CA51,005+1.8%
65Temecula, CA50,774+1%
66Santa Maria, CA50,435+1.1%
67Santa Monica, CA50,423+0.5%
68Murrieta, CA49,737+0.7%
69Jurupa Valley, CA49,457+1%
70Vista, CA49,135+1.2%
71Chico, CA48,872+0.7%
72El Monte, CA48,239-0%
73Mountain View, CA48,171+1.7%
74Norwalk, CA47,591-0.1%
75Menifee, CA47,067+3.5%
76Rialto, CA46,944+0.8%
77Santa Barbara, CA46,777+0.4%
78Tracy, CA46,355+1.4%
79Redwood City, CA45,909-1.2%
80San Marcos, CA45,541+2.4%
81Lake Forest, CA45,012+1.1%
82Vacaville, CA44,758+2.2%
83El Cajon, CA44,749+0.7%
84Chino, CA44,497+0.4%
85Mission Viejo, CA44,091+0.3%
86San Leandro, CA44,036-0%
87Carson, CA43,952-0.1%
88South Gate, CA43,761+0.1%
89Livermore, CA43,662+0.1%
90San Ramon, CA42,249+0.1%
91Indio, CA41,865+2%
92Napa, CA41,780+2.6%
93Milpitas, CA41,727+0.8%
94Hawthorne, CA41,602-0.2%
95Buena Park, CA41,482+0.6%
96Newport Beach, CA41,068+0.2%
97Compton, CA40,962-0.1%
98Alhambra, CA40,872+0.3%
99Lakewood, CA40,695-0.2%
100Citrus Heights, CA40,673+1%
101Whittier, CA40,536+0.2%
102Upland, CA40,230+0.6%
103Westminster, CA40,226+0.4%
104Folsom, CA40,023+3.5%
105Redding, CA40,011+2.1%
106Tustin, CA39,585+0.5%
107Hesperia, CA39,207+1%
108Manteca, CA38,995+2.9%
109Chino Hills, CA38,981+0.2%
110Alameda, CA38,164+1.6%
111Rancho Cordova, CA38,005+2.4%
112South San Francisco, CA37,724-1%
113Bellflower, CA36,973-0%
114Redondo Beach, CA36,768-0.2%
115Pleasanton, CA36,585-0.4%
116Pittsburg, CA35,924+1%
117Eastvale, CA35,834+0.5%
118Perris, CA35,549+2.2%
119Merced, CA35,489+2.9%
120Redlands, CA35,113+1.1%
121Dublin, CA34,872+0.3%
122Lake Elsinore, CA34,580+1%
123Rocklin, CA33,986+2%
124Union City, CA33,798-0.4%
125Hemet, CA32,909+1.6%
126Baldwin Park, CA32,624+0.1%
127Walnut Creek, CA32,494+0.8%
128Palo Alto, CA32,357+0.2%
129Laguna Niguel, CA32,351+0.5%
130Davis, CA32,264+0.7%
131Encinitas, CA32,000+1%
132Camarillo, CA31,926+0.5%
133Santa Cruz, CA31,653+0.7%
134Turlock, CA31,294+0.7%
135Yorba Linda, CA31,256+0.1%
136La Habra, CA30,739+0.2%
137La Mesa, CA30,598+1.3%
138Gardena, CA30,053+0.4%
139Lodi, CA29,951+0.4%
140Brentwood, CA29,649+1.1%
141San Clemente, CA29,467+0.1%
142San Rafael, CA29,413+0.4%
143Petaluma, CA29,294+0.6%
144Montebello, CA29,190+0.4%
145Tulare, CA29,124+2.2%
146Yuba City, CA29,111-0%
147Woodland, CA28,941+1.2%
148Pico Rivera, CA28,654-0.1%
149Madera, CA27,912+3.4%
150Aliso Viejo, CA27,910-0%
151Santee, CA27,879+1.3%
152Cupertino, CA27,760-0%
153Gilroy, CA27,734+1.3%
154Lynwood, CA27,436+0.3%
155Monterey Park, CA27,217-0.2%
156West Sacramento, CA27,125+2.2%
157Apple Valley, CA26,929+0.3%
158National City, CA26,523+1%
159Diamond Bar, CA26,128-0.3%
160Porterville, CA25,933+1.5%
161Covina, CA25,8550%
162Fountain Valley, CA25,797+0.5%
163Newark, CA25,793+0.1%
164San Luis Obispo, CA25,695+2.4%
165Placentia, CA25,631+1.9%
166Rancho Santa Margarita, CA25,519-0.1%
167Beaumont, CA25,328+4.1%
168Colton, CA25,001+0.2%
169Azusa, CA24,844+0.3%
170Highland, CA24,752+0.4%
171Arcadia, CA24,736-0%
172Cathedral City, CA24,735+0.7%
173Paramount, CA24,682-0.1%
174Rohnert Park, CA24,202+0.8%
175San Bruno, CA24,131-1.6%
176Huntington Park, CA24,099-0.2%
177Glendora, CA23,826-0.1%
178West Hollywood, CA23,778-0%
179Yucaipa, CA23,714+0.5%
180Novato, CA23,711+0.4%
181Rosemead, CA23,490+0.4%
182Cypress, CA23,414+0.4%
183Brea, CA23,180+1.9%
184Poway, CA22,945+1.9%
185Oakley, CA22,836+2.5%
186Hanford, CA22,724+3.2%
187La Mirada, CA22,688-0.2%
188San Jacinto, CA22,639+0.6%
189Campbell, CA22,2390%
190Morgan Hill, CA21,931+0.3%
191Cerritos, CA21,826-0.4%
192Lincoln, CA21,380+4.2%
193Watsonville, CA21,272+0.4%
194Palm Desert, CA21,242+1.6%
195Culver City, CA21,164+0.5%
196Coachella, CA20,900+2.9%
197Pacifica, CA20,639-1.5%
198Hollister, CA20,506+0.1%
199Danville, CA20,328+0.1%
200Delano, CA20,082+1.7%
201Palm Springs, CA19,544+1%
202Ceres, CA19,406+0.3%
203Monrovia, CA19,215+0.8%
204San Gabriel, CA19,170+0.1%
205Stanton, CA18,762+2.2%
206Martinez, CA18,747+0.5%
207Goleta, CA18,453+0.9%
208Lompoc, CA18,288-1.5%
209Moorpark, CA17,887+0.6%
210La Puente, CA17,7410%
211Pleasant Hill, CA17,602+0.1%
212Rancho Palos Verdes, CA17,444-0.3%
213Claremont, CA17,394+0.1%
214Foster City, CA17,382-1.6%
215San Juan Capistrano, CA17,361+1.3%
216Los Banos, CA17,241+1.8%
217Menlo Park, CA17,182-0.9%
218Burlingame, CA16,879-0.5%
219Dana Point, CA16,674+0.5%
220Temple City, CA16,651+0.1%
221El Centro, CA16,570+1.7%
222Montclair, CA16,545+0.3%
223San Carlos, CA16,527-1.7%
224La Quinta, CA16,312+2.3%
225Lawndale, CA16,308-0.3%
226San Dimas, CA16,289-0.2%
227East Palo Alto, CA16,267-1%
228Bell Gardens, CA16,235-0.2%
229Lathrop, CA16,219+9.8%
230Seaside, CA16,204-0.5%
231Wildomar, CA15,978+1.1%
232Manhattan Beach, CA15,607-0.5%
233Laguna Hills, CA15,2960%
234Desert Hot Springs, CA15,154+1.7%
235Beverly Hills, CA15,000-0.3%
236Los Gatos, CA14,989+0.3%
237Belmont, CA14,743-1.7%
238Atascadero, CA14,611+1.1%
239Santa Paula, CA14,443+1.5%
240Monterey, CA14,410-1.7%
241South Pasadena, CA14,205-0.1%
242San Pablo, CA14,144-0%
243El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CA13,961+1%
244La Verne, CA13,879-0%
245Bell, CA13,868-0.1%
246El Cerrito, CA13,807+0.9%
247Suisun City, CA13,793+1.8%
248Hercules, CA13,602+1.1%
249Saratoga, CA13,392+0.3%
250Los Altos, CA13,250+0.1%

Showing the top 250 of 285. The Excel download has every row.

Other periods

About this ranking

Residents who did any work for pay or profit in the reference week, or were temporarily absent from a job, annual average.

More on how it is measured
  • People aged 16 and over by place of residence, from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Active-duty military personnel and people living in institutions are excluded.

United States cities only for now. Counts people where they live, whatever the place of work, and someone with two jobs counts once. BLS estimates cities by splitting county estimates with Census Bureau employment and population data and unemployment insurance claims, so city figures are less precise than state ones. BLS publishes cities of 25,000 or more, and smaller cities in New England.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average (Cities in California by employed residents, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average, Cities in California by employed residents, 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/california-cities?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. Cities in California by employed residents, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/california-cities?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average, Cities in California by employed residents, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/california-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_cities_in_california_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average: Cities in California by employed residents, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/california-cities?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average: Cities in California by employed residents, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/california-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employed-residents/california-cities?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which city has the highest employed residents?

Los Angeles, CA, with 1.96 million in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest employed residents?

Paradise, CA, with 2,097 in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: employment (measure 05), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Employed residents: other rankings

Cities in California: more rankings