Despite its history as a planned community that has experienced sustained population growth since its incorporation in 1971, Irvine serves as an important job center for the Southern California region. This report documents changes in employment and commuting patterns across the city of Irvine over the first 50 years of its existence. As Irvine turns 50, many aspects of its early ambitious vision, which aimed to balance land uses supporting economic growth and high-quality living environments, continue to be realized. A key finding of this report is that Irvine’s emergence as a job center is distinguished by both the number and types of jobs that exist within the city.
