Quick answer: The case for workforce development East Valley San Bernardino County partners can support shows up clearly in Census data. In the City of San Bernardino, 18.6% of residents live in poverty and only 13.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. In Rialto, the bachelor's rate is 12.6%. The Ayangbah Foundation, a 501(c)(3) in downtown San Bernardino, offers short, practical job training in person and live online, and invites cities, schools, health systems and funders to sponsor cohorts and free youth programs.
Why Workforce Development East Valley San Bernardino County Needs Now
The East Valley is the county's historic center. It holds the county seat, a regional medical hub in Loma Linda, and fast-growing warehouse and retail corridors along I-10 and I-215. The nine cities in this brief are home to more than 800,000 people combined, based on U.S. Census estimates.
The region is not one story. Loma Linda and Redlands have some of the highest degree rates in the Inland Empire. San Bernardino, Rialto and Colton have some of the lowest. The gap between them is where short-term training can make a real difference: many adults are already working, but in jobs without a clear path to promotion.
East Valley City-by-City Data
Each line shows population, the share of adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, the share with a bachelor's degree or higher, and the share of residents living in poverty.
- San Bernardino: 222,044 residents; 74.2% high school graduate; 13.1% bachelor's; 18.6% poverty (U.S. Census QuickFacts, V2025 estimate; ACS 2020–2024).
- Rialto: 106,554 residents; 75.8% high school graduate; 12.6% bachelor's; 12.7% poverty (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
- Colton: 53,383 residents; 75.5% high school graduate; 16.6% bachelor's; 13.7% poverty (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
- Highland: 57,614 residents; 79.6% high school graduate; 22.7% bachelor's; 17.1% poverty (U.S. Census QuickFacts, V2025 estimate; ACS 2020–2024).
- Redlands: 74,128 residents; 91.6% high school graduate; 41.5% bachelor's; 9.1% poverty (U.S. Census QuickFacts, V2025 estimate; ACS 2020–2024).
- Loma Linda: 25,221 residents; 91.5% high school graduate; 51.8% bachelor's; 12.3% poverty (U.S. Census QuickFacts, V2025 estimate; ACS 2020–2024).
- Grand Terrace: 12,936 residents; 87.2% high school graduate; 28.4% bachelor's; 7.5% poverty (U.S. Census QuickFacts, V2025 estimate; ACS 2020–2024).
- Fontana: 221,223 residents; 80.0% high school graduate; 21.4% bachelor's; 9.9% poverty (U.S. Census QuickFacts, 2025 estimate; ACS 2020–2024).
- Yucaipa: 54,953 residents; 88.6% high school graduate; 26.9% bachelor's; 9.1% poverty (U.S. Census QuickFacts, V2025 estimate; ACS 2020–2024).
What the Numbers Mean
Three patterns stand out for anyone planning programs or grants.
- A diploma gap in the urban core. In San Bernardino, Colton and Rialto, roughly one in four adults has no high school diploma. These residents need training that does not require one.
- Poverty is not only an urban-core issue. Highland's poverty rate is 17.1%, and Loma Linda's is 12.3% despite a very high degree rate.
- Big employers, specific skills. Kaiser Permanente is Fontana's top employer with 9,677 workers, followed by Fontana Unified and Amazon, according to the City of Fontana's 2023 financial report. Loma Linda University and Medical Center employs over 11,838 people, per the City of Loma Linda. Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton employs about 3,510. Redlands' top employers include Redlands Unified, Esri and Redlands Community Hospital.
Healthcare, logistics, education and retail all reward the same basics: showing up ready, clear communication, customer service and comfort with Excel and email. Those are the skills our programs teach. For more on these sectors, see our guides on healthcare training in San Bernardino and logistics jobs in the Inland Empire.
Youth and Prevention in the East Valley
Workforce readiness starts before the first job. Fourteen local teenagers have died of fentanyl overdoses since 2021, according to the California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard as reported by Community Forward Redlands. Our Youth Substance Use Prevention & Leadership program serves ages 12 to 26 with fentanyl awareness, naloxone training and a youth leadership council. Our Future Leaders Academy is a free Saturday workshop with lunch provided. Read more in our guide for parents.
What Workforce Development East Valley San Bernardino County Partners Can Fund
The Ayangbah Foundation (EIN 33-4528503) is based at 255 N. D Street in downtown San Bernardino. It is a SAM.gov-registered nonprofit and an approved work-experience worksite for the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Department, and it has hosted and mentored 10 interns so far. Every class runs in person in an ADA-accessible classroom and live online, with day, evening and Saturday options.
A partner gift or contract could fund:
- A sponsored cohort of the 40-hour Career Readiness & Entrepreneurship Employment Training certificate (4 weeks; $1,200 per participant).
- Skills seats in Microsoft Excel & Office Essentials or QuickBooks Bookkeeping Essentials (12 hours; $297 each).
- Free youth workshops through the Future Leaders Academy and prevention programming in East Valley schools and neighborhoods.
- Small business capacity building through entrepreneurship workshops and the Government Contracting Academy.
- Work experience placements for participants with local employers.
Our founder and executive director, Dr. Shirley Ayangbah, is a professor and economist with a PhD in International Law and master's degrees in Economics and International Relations. See our full program list.
FAQ
What is the poverty rate in San Bernardino, CA?
According to U.S. Census QuickFacts, 18.6% of City of San Bernardino residents live in poverty. Only 13.1% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree.
Which East Valley cities have the lowest college degree rates?
Rialto (12.6%), San Bernardino (13.1%) and Colton (16.6%) have the lowest bachelor's degree rates among the nine East Valley cities in this brief, per U.S. Census QuickFacts.
Who are the largest employers in the East Valley?
City financial reports list Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, Loma Linda University and Medical Center, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, school districts, Amazon and Esri in Redlands among the largest. Healthcare and logistics dominate.
How can a city or funder support job training in San Bernardino?
A city, foundation or company can sponsor a training cohort, fund free youth programs, or host participants for work experience. The Ayangbah Foundation takes partnership inquiries at (909) 454-7076.
Does The Ayangbah Foundation offer classes outside San Bernardino?
Yes. Every class is offered live online as well as in person in downtown San Bernardino, so residents of Yucaipa, Fontana or Grand Terrace can join from home.
Ways to Partner
If your city, school district, health system or foundation wants to close the East Valley's skills gap, we would welcome a conversation.
- Fund a program: sponsor a cohort or free youth workshops.
- Start a partnership: tell us what your community needs.
- Give online to support training and prevention.
- See our impact and how we report it.
Or call us at (909) 454-7076.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for San Bernardino, Rialto, Colton, Highland, Redlands, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace, Fontana and Yucaipa (V2025 population estimates; ACS 2020–2024); City of Fontana 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (via Wikipedia); City of Loma Linda Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, FY 2023; City of Redlands 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (via Wikipedia); Colton principal employer data; California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard via Community Forward Redlands.