Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Angels grades D overall, 567th among California's 841 graded towns. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. Angels’ average trip to work is 15 minutes, below both California’s towns (28 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Homes are expensive, about $485K for a typical one and 6.2 times the county’s $79K median household income. On history, just 28 of California’s 1,063 towns do better.
Where Angels beats most towns.
Angels HotelEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Angels is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1848, comes before those of 96% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 330 in 1880, 3,667 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 2 maps from 1945 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Angels, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Angels.
Angels has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Murphys and other neighbors, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
People 65 and older are 32% of residents (16% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (24% statewide). Angels’ median age is 55 years. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Angels | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 55 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 29% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.1 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Angels | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0.8% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.1% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.3% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.1% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.2% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.2% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,700, single groups can be off by several points
Its public schools are run by the Bret Harte Union High school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bret Harte Union High, with 559 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Twain ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 507 | B+ |
| Bret Harte Union HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 559 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Angels.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The New Melones Dam Hq weather station, 6 miles away, records that about 98 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 36.3°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 77% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 93.9°.
Angels has mild winters and hot summers. The July high in Angels is 94°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Angels | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Angels has about as many jobs (1,598) as working residents, but only 160 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 14.8 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Most working residents leave Angels for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Angels grew to 1,598 in 2023, 164 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Murphys (4%), San Andreas (4%) and Sonora (3%).
| Angels | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Angels | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Utica Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Copello Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The nearest emergency room, Sutter Amador Hospital, is 22.5 miles away in a straight line. Against the 9,466 U.S. towns with household incomes like Angels’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Angels beats the California average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 38% of adults have high blood pressure in Angels.
| Angels | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Angels | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.8% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Angels. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi National ParkYosemite National Park4.3M visitors a year
20 mi State parkCalaveras Big Trees State Park
11 mi MuseumRailtown 1897 State Historic Park
32 mi National forestStanislaus National Forest
34 mi Ski areaDodge Ridge Ski Area61 runs · 1,576 ft vertical
39 mi Ski areaBear Valley61 runs · 1,843 ft verticalYosemite National Park: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Calaveras Big Trees State Park: John J. O'Brien (talk · contribs), Public domain · Railtown 1897 State Historic Park: Ed Bierman, CC BY 2.0 · Stanislaus National Forest: U.S. National Park Service, Public domain · Dodge Ridge Ski Area: IanGad, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bear Valley: Shayan Sanyal, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Angels
About 3 of every 100 Angels residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
5 places in Angels on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Angels.
City in California, United States
Angels Camp (formerly Angel's Camp, Angels, Angels City, Carson's Creek and Clearlake), is the only incorporated city in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 3,667 at the 2020 census. It lies at an elevation of 1381 feet (421 m). Established in 1849, the town was a quartz mining destination in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Over $100 million was generated from mining activities. Black Bart, Joaquin Murieta, and other outlaws were said to have spent time in the town. Mark Twain based his short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" on a story he claimed to have heard at the Angels Hotel in 1865. The event is commemorated with a Jumpi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Angels grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #567 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
5 notable people were born here, including Mike McCormick and Catfish Metkovich.
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