Pico Rivera, California


Pico Rivera is a city located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California. The city is situated approximately southeast of downtown Los Angeles, on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles basin, and on the southern edge of the area known as the San Gabriel Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a population of 62,088. Pico Rivera is bordered by Montebello to the west, Downey to the south, Santa Fe Springs to the southeast, and Whittier to the east. Northrop Grumman's Advanced Systems Division developed the B-2 Spirit bomber here.

History

Situated on a rich alluvial plain between the Rio Hondo and the San Gabriel River, Pico Rivera was originally two unincorporated agricultural communities: Pico and Rivera. By the end of the 19th century, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway had been built through Rivera, while the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad had been built through Pico. In 1902, they were joined by the Pacific Electric's Whittier Line through Rivera. The Los Nietos Townsite Company was established by J. Fletcher Isbell and William T. Bone in 1887, selling land that had once been part of Pio Pico's Rancho Paso de Bartolo. One of their first sales was to Joseph Burke, whose family cultivated orchards and operated a winery near Rivera. The area was served by three schools: Ranchito, Rivera, and Pico, all of which fed into Whittier Union High School.
The area was once predominantly agricultural; but, at the end of WWII, the fast rising demand for homes lured builders to the attractive terrain. Since the 1950s, it has been both residential as well as industrial. It had a Ford Motor Company plant for many years: Los Angeles Assembly. Pico Rivera lies below the Whittier Narrows, making it one of the "Gateway Cities". In January 1958, 56 percent of the electorate voted for incorporation. They approved a council–manager form of government, and the name "Pico Rivera" was established for the new city. Five citizens were chosen from a slate of 24 candidates to serve as members of the first City Council; Pico Rivera officially became the 61st city in Los Angeles County.

Geography

Pico Rivera is bordered by Downey on the southwest, Santa Fe Springs on the southeast, Whittier on the east, City of Industry on the northeast, Montebello on the northwest, and Commerce on the west. Rosemead/Lakewood Boulevard, CA 19 runs through the center of the city, and the San Gabriel River Freeway runs along its southeastern edge.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of. of it is land and of it is water.
Pico Rivera was the epicenter of a magnitude 4.4 earthquake on March 16, 2010, which occurred at 4:04 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

Demographics

Pico Rivera first appeared as a city in the 1960 U.S. census as part of the Whittier census county division. Prior to 1960, the area was included in the unincorporated portion of the now defunct Whittier Township.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 4,9143,2812,6067.75%5.21%4.20%
Black or African American alone 3133663830.49%0.58%0.62%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 1931141300.30%0.18%0.21%
Asian alone 1,5391,4632,0672.43%2.32%3.33%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone 3615300.06%0.02%0.05%
Other race alone 46502670.07%0.08%0.43%
Mixed race or Multiracial 3872533560.61%0.40%0.57%
Hispanic or Latino 56,00057,40056,24988.29%91.20%90.60%
Total63,42862,94262,088100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Pico Rivera had a population of 62,088. The population density was. The racial makeup of Pico Rivera was 21.3% White, 0.8% African American, 2.7% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 44.6% from other races, and 26.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 90.6% of the population.
The census reported that 99.3% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized.
There were 16,958 households, out of which 41.5% included children under the age of 18, 50.6% were married-couple households, 6.7% were cohabiting couple households, 27.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 13.6% of households were one person, and 6.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.64. There were 13,908 families.
The age distribution was 21.3% under the age of 18, 10.0% aged 18 to 24, 27.4% aged 25 to 44, 25.4% aged 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 38.2years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males.
There were 17,359 housing units at an average density of, of which 16,958 were occupied. Of these, 69.2% were owner-occupied, and 30.8% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $86,956, and the per capita income was $31,277. About 8.2% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Pico Rivera had a population of 62,942. The population density was.
The racial makeup of Pico Rivera was 5.2% Non-Hispanic White, 1.0% Black or African American, 1.4% Native American, 2.6% Asian, and 0.1% Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino of any race is 91.2% of the population.
The Census reported that 62,488 people lived in households, 39 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 415 were institutionalized.
There were 16,566 households, out of which 8,073 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 8,843 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3,334 had a female householder with no husband present, 1,470 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,041 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 91 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,276 households were made up of individuals, and 1,154 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.77. There were 13,647 families ; the average family size was 4.10.
The population was spread out, with 16,792 people under the age of 18, 6,971 people aged 18 to 24, 17,225 people aged 25 to 44, 14,323 people aged 45 to 64, and 7,631 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
There were 17,109 housing units at an average density of, of which 11,440 were owner-occupied, and 5,126 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.1%. 44,643 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,845 people lived in rental housing units.

Mapping L.A.

According to Mapping L.A., Mexican and German were the most common ancestries cited by residents in 2000. Mexico and El Salvador were the most common foreign places of birth.

Economy

The Los Angeles Assembly, a manufacturing facility at the corner of Rosemead and Washington boulevards, was owned and operated by the Ford Motor Company. The plant opened in 1958 and closed in 1980 and was purchased by Northrop Grumman in 1982 for its Advanced Systems Division. Upon the unveiling of the B-2 Spirit bomber in 1988, it was revealed that much of the development for the former black project had occurred at the site. In the early 1990s, the division was renamed the B-2 Division to reflect its most famous product. At its peak, the project employed approximately 13,000 workers in Pico Rivera. The site was closed and then demolished in 2001 partially due to air quality remediation efforts, and became a large retail center.
There has been significant redevelopment in the city: the opening of the Pico Rivera Towne Center, a along Washington Boulevard, that has brought businesses into the city.
"Pico Crossing" is a with several national retailers. Noteworthy redevelopment has taken place in recent years along historic Whittier Boulevard More developments include the "Pico Rivera Village Walk", a $22 million, located at the southwest corner of Whittier and Paramount boulevards. The has opened at the corner of Washington and Rosemead Boulevards. The cities taxes were raised from 10.25 percent to 10.75 percent in mid 2009.
Los Cerritos Community News serves the city.

Top employers

2019

According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of Employees
1El Rancho Unified School District1,225
2Walmart497
3Target191
4Feit Electric Co Inc189
5Lowe's187
6Rivera Nursing & Convalescent182
7Bay Cities Container160
8Aurora World, Inc136
9El Rancho Vista Healthcare Center112
10Anastasia Beverly Hills Inc100