Montebello, CA Economic Overview
Montebello is a city in Los Angeles County, located in the southwestern area of the San Gabriel Valley. Considered part of the Gateway Cities of Los Angeles, Montebello is known for its accessibility via a multitude of freeways. The City is located nine miles east of the Los Angeles Civic Center and has access to the Santa Ana 5 Freeway to the south, the Pomona 60 Freeway to the north, and the San Gabriel River 605 Freeway to the east. The City has become a major center for the trucking and specialty vehicle industry and is commonly referred to as the “hub of the wheel,” serving bakeries, meat companies, consumer paper distributors, sales organizations, beer and soft drink distributors, warehouses, petroleum distributors, and lumber and building material suppliers in the area in the Valley. Montebello is home to approximately 64,000 people, living in an area of 8.2 square miles and hosts over 5,400 companies. The City boasts a balanced community with mainly light industry, residential areas, and bustling commercial centers.
Montebello, CA Commercial Real Estate Market
Serving as a central commercial “hot spot,” for traffic circulating to and from Los Angeles, Montebello hosts most of its commercial space along East and West Beverly Boulevards, which cut right through the City and connects to East Los Angeles. Located on the outskirts, The Shops of Montebello, formerly known as “Montebello Town Center,” is a shopping mall with over 160 national and local retail outlets and provides a major commercial center for the City.
The broader San Gabriel Valley office market in Los Angeles County has recently seen an uptick in demand, driven by economic expansion throughout the County.
Montebello, CA Commercial Inventory Breakdown
Office Spaces
Total: 50,526 SF
By square footage range:
- 50k to 100k SF: 50,526 SF / 100% of total office
By class:
- Class B: 50,526 SF / 100% of total office
Industrial
Total: 6,899,734 SF
By square footage range:
- 50k to 100k SF: 2,103,448 SF / 30.49% of total industrial
- 100k to 500k SF: 4,227,218 SF / 61.27% of total industrial
- 500k to 1M SF: 569,068 SF / 8.25% of total industrial
By class:
- Class A: 724,389 SF / 10.5% of total industrial
- Class B: 5,741,781 SF / 83.22% of total industrial
- Class C: 433,564 SF / 6.28% of total industrial
Office Spaces with Retail
Total: 1,821,371 SF
By square footage range:
- 50k to 100k SF: 202,761 SF / 11.13% of total office with retail
- 100k to 500k SF: 1,618,610 SF / 88.87% of total office with retail
Employment in Montebello, CA
Businesses within Montebello employ approximately 27,300 residents in the area. The City’s largest employers include Wilbur Curtis Co., Inc., Costco, Katzkin Leather, Inc., J.C. Penney, and Monarch Litho, Inc.
Montebello’s median household income is $45,875, slightly below the Los Angeles County average of $56,196. The median age of individuals in the city is 37.2 years.
Largely driven by Los Angeles economic growth, Montebello has seen a dramatic decrease in unemployment rates since 14% in 2010, to 3.5% now, which is lower than the county average of approximately 5%. Montebello employment continues to grow at an annual rate of 1%. The City is home to a number of employers primarily concentrated in retail and light industry. The most common sectors in the City are Educational Service and Healthcare, Retail Trade, and Manufacturing. In the Los Angeles County, the occupations with the fastest projected job growth over the next decade include Office and Administrative Support, Food Preparation and Service, Personal Care and Service, and Management.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industries in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA area with the highest employment numbers include:
- Trade, Transportation, and Utilities—currently employs 820,900, growing at 0.2% per year
- Education and Health Service—currently employs 781,000, growing at 2.6% per year
- Professional and Business Services—currently employs 615,900, growing at 3.1% per year
Education in Montebello, CA
The city is served by the Montebello Unified School District, along with portions of the cities of Bell Gardens, Commerce, Downey, Rosemead, Pico Rivera, and Monterey Park, as well as the unincorporated community of South San Gabriel, and a part of the unincorporated community of East Los Angeles. The District is one of the largest and most diverse in Los Angeles County, with an enrollment of more than 35,000 K–12 students and 30,000 adults enrolled in adult education. The District includes eighteen elementary schools, six intermediate schools, five high schools, and four adult schools. The City also hosts a number of private schools.
The Applied Technology Center, a $30 million facility opened in the fall of 2011, is a vocational high school with state-of-the-art technical training capable of accommodating up to 750 students. Students wishing to attend ATC are required to apply for admission.
Higher education options include as many as 135 colleges and universities within 50 miles of Montebello. The nearest college is East Los Angeles College at a distance of 2.7 miles from Montebello center. University of the West, California State University Los Angeles, and Rio Hondo College are also located within 5 miles from Montebello center.
Commuting Time in Montebello, CA
Montebello is highly accessible for anyone looking to do business or visit the City from locations nearby. Montebello is ringed by freeways and is just a short 15-minute drive from Downtown Los Angeles. Major transportation routes and options in and to the City include:
- For those driving to and from the city, Montebello is easily accessible to the Long Beach- (I-710), San Gabriel River (I-605), Pomona (SR 60) and Santa Ana (I-5) freeways.
- Public transportation is provided by the city-owned Montebello Bus Lines; the service is the sixth largest public transit agency in Los Angeles County with an annual ridership of over 8.2 million.
- Montebello LINK is a transportation shuttle offering curb-to-curb service to and from the Montebello/Commerce Metrolink station.
- Montebello is also just 20 driving minutes from the largest deep-water port in the Western United States and fewer than 45 driving minutes from major airports, Los Angeles International Airport and Long Beach Airport.
Employees in Montebello face an average commute time of 33.5 minutes, which is longer than the national average of 24.8 minutes. The largest share of workers drives alone, followed by those who carpool and use public transit.
Montebello Demographics
Population
- Total Population62,742
- Male Population(48.5 %) 30,452
- Female Population(51.5 %) 32,290
- Median Age36.10
Income/Financial
- Average Household Income$74,004
- Median Household Income$56,150
- Median Income Under 25$44,783
- Median Income 25-44$56,446
- Median Income 45-64$68,023
- Median Income Over 65$40,054
News
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