Vernon, CA Economic Overview
Located in Los Angeles County, Vernon is a tiny city of just under five square miles in size, with a population of less than 200 people. The City is just south of East Los Angeles and right across the I-10 freeway from Commerce City. Intentionally industrial by design, what Vernon lacks in residents it makes up for in employment and business. Nicknamed 'The City That Does More', Vernon is home to more than 1,800 businesses, which employ over 50,000 people from communities throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area. With this in mind, it's no surprise that demand for commercial real estate in Vernon continues to be incredibly strong.
Vernon was founded in 1905 and has been an exclusively industrial city ever since. Much of this is due to Vernon's extremely business-friendly attitude, and although it is immediately adjacent to Los Angeles, the City offers much lower permit fees, lower utility fees, customized business-specific City services, easy access to all four major freeways and the transportation seaports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Add to this access to a growing labor pool of over 50,000 highly-skilled workers, and you get Vernon's very low vacancy rate and positive rent and absorption numbers.
Vernon, CA Commercial Real Estate Market
Vernon is part of the Central Los Angeles sub-market and, despite being less than five square miles in size, contains over 90 million square feet of industrial space, with a vacancy rate below 2%. Manufacturing tenants in Vernon are the major part of the commercial market, with businesses such as National Corset Supply House, Trinity Sports, Karen Kane, One Clothing, Farmer John and Tapatio Hot Sauce setting up shop here.
Because of Vernon's centralized transportation location and the cost-effectiveness of new product roll outs, tenants in the fashion industry account for nearly 15% of the City's businesses, giving Vernon more than 10% of the total fashion-related jobs in all of Los Angeles County. Fashion industry tenants include Complete Clothing Company, Unlimited Design Services, NYDJ Apparel, Hedley & Bennett, Specialty Apparel Los Angeles, Karen Kane, Choon Inc., and Jaya Apparel Group.
As the fashion manufacturing industry has consolidated in Vernon, tenants continue to thrive, because they are able to connect with their major business partners, who are also located in Vernon. There are more than 265 fashion industry businesses engaged in cutting, sewing, design and dyeing. Importers and exporters in Vernon are also attracted to the City's specialized warehouse and office space, and to the quick access to L.A., Orange County, the Inland Empire, as well as national and international trade routes through the 405, 710, 134 and 105 Freeways, railroad and the sea ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Vernon, CA Commercial Inventory Breakdown
Industrial
Total: 36,483,707 SF
By square footage range:
- 50k to 100k SF: 8,952,921 SF / 24.54% of total industrial
- 100k to 500k SF: 22,733,071 SF / 62.31% of total industrial
- 500k to 1M SF: 3,787,510 SF / 10.38% of total industrial
- > 1M SF: 1,010,205 SF / 2.77% of total industrial
By class:
- Class A: 7,684,441 SF / 21.06% of total industrial
- Class B: 21,783,536 SF / 59.71% of total industrial
- Class C: 7,015,730 SF / 19.23% of total industrial
Office Spaces with Retail
Total: 170,086 SF
By square footage range:
- 50k to 100k SF: 59,040 SF / 34.71% of total office with retail
- 100k to 500k SF: 111,046 SF / 65.29% of total office with retail
Employment in Vernon, CA
Ever since being founded in 1905, Vernon has steadily established its niche as an industrial manufacturing powerhouse. The City has consistently demonstrated its commitment to meeting the frequently evolving needs of the industrial community, streamlined its governmental functions, maintained affordable utility rates for industry, and boasts top-notch police and fire departments.
The Los Angeles Development Corporation has awarded Vernon the designation of being the 'Most Business Friendly City' in the L.A. metropolitan area. As proof that the award is more than just words, Vernon is host to a wide variety of businesses that provide jobs to residents from neighboring communities.
The largest employment sector in Vernon is the Fashion Apparel, Design, Textile, Manufacturing and Wholesale industry cluster, which employs 11,200 people. Right behind this is the food manufacturing industry, with nearly 11,000 workers, representing more than 15% of the Los Angeles County total for this employment group. Other industries in Vernon are the Furniture and Home Furnishings, Fabricated Metal Products, Industrial Machinery, Toys, Auto Parts, and Wholesale Trade & Logistics sectors.
Education in Vernon, CA
Vernon is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, with the Vernon City Elementary School within the city limits. Nearby are the Homes Avenue Elementary School, George Washington Carver Middle School, Gage Middle School and Huntington Park High School.
Being located right next door to the City of Los Angeles not only benefits the industrial business of Vernon, but the post-secondary educational opportunities as well. The California Institute of Technology, West Coast University Los Angeles, Occidental College, Westwood College Los Angeles, Southern California Institute of Architecture and the University of Southern California are all within a 10-mile radius of Vernon.
Commuting Time in Vernon, CA
Because Vernon has fewer than 200 residents, commuting time within the 5-square-mile city is quite low, but those affected by work day traffic are the over 50,000 employees who drive to and from Vernon each work day, with average commute times easily running 30 minutes or more each way.
With its distinctive location only five miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Vernon is a city designed solely for business and has leveraged its access to transportation as part of its success:
- Easy access to the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach that together receive over 40% of the imports coming into the U.S.
- Direct access to the 405, 710, 134, and 105 freeway systems that serve as a gateway to Greater Los Angeles, Southern California and the Inland Empire.
- Los Angeles International Airport, Bob Hope Airport, and Long Beach Airport are all within a 20 miles radius of Vernon
- Los Angeles Junction Railway is located in Vernon and provides rail switching service to 64 miles of track, mainly in Vernon and the industrial areas southeast of Downtown L.A., with connection to the BNSF and Union Pacific Railway systems
Vernon Demographics
Population
- Total Population90
- Male Population(46.7 %) 42
- Female Population(53.3 %) 48
- Median Age36.50
Income/Financial
- Average Household Income$122,011
- Median Household Income$70,000
- Median Income 25-44$91,250
- Median Income 45-64$42,083
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