2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Palo Alto, CA vs Arcata, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Arcata, is 80% less than it is in Palo Alto and is 77% below the National Average.
- Palo Alto unemployment rate is 3.5%.
- Arcata unemployment rate is 6.7%.
 Palo Alto, CAArcata, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock6.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.9%1.6%
 Future Job Growth40.5%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes9.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$105,070  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$39,069$69,021
 Family Median Income$241,579  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Palo Alto, CAArcata, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock21.2%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K1.3%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock17.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K2.6%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.2%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K2.6%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock5.8%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K5.4%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.5%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K9.9%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock3.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Palo Alto, CAArcata, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance26.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock7.1%6.5%
 Community, social services1.0%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.6%1.2%
 Education, library10.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock4.1%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock4.9%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.6%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock10.0%5.4%
 Building maintenance0.4%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.4%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support10.0%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.9%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair1.6%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock14.1%13.1%
Reviews for Palo Alto    8 Reviews

The Bay Area in general, but Palo Alto specifically provides many of the qualities sought by many; the climate is beautiful, there is access to cultural and recreational  More

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Over 17 years ago

Very  More

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Over 18 years ago

VTA and SamsTrans and Caltrain all provide good service and most times frequency of service is  More

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Reviews for Arcata    17 Reviews

Pros: Nature hikes Cons: One of highest crime rates in the nation. Opioid epidemic going on (you’ll regularly witness drug deals and ppl doing drugs) No  More

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It takes a special set of preferences to select Arcata. Is this you? - You love clouds and fog. You are happy if you see the sun maybe 10-20 times a year. - Chilly  More

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Over 11 years ago

I've lived in Humboldt for over 30 yrs and know all the areas well. Arcata is the jewel of Humboldt due to having a university and many liberal creative people. There is  More

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