Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 24,804, settled in 1886.
Barstow grades D− overall, ranked 719th of 841 in California, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 330 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 96% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $53K, and 23% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Barstow’s violent crime rate is 13.3 per 1,000 residents, above both the California town median (2.9) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). On cost of living, just 31 of California’s 1,058 towns do better. Barstow is home to Barstow Community College.
Where Barstow beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Barstow Community College | 477 |
22,639 counted in 2010 and 25,415 in 2020; an estimated 24,804 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.4%, after 12.3% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Barstow is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 4%), so the D− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,135 in 1950, 25,415 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Barstow, 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 Barstow.
Barstow trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the California rate.
Homes are within reach (about $265K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 73 miles. At 3 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income, the typical home (about $265K) costs less against local pay than in 97% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The typical Barstow home is worth about $265,000, down 0.9% in a year, 65% below the California typical home. 44% of households own their home in Barstow.
| Barstow | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,091 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Barstow Unified school district. Two of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barstow IntermediateLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 692 | – |
| Barstow HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,558 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 13.3 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the California rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes rose from 875 to 1,029 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Barstow’s property crime rate is 28.2 per 1,000 residents. Barstow reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
62 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The trail density in Barstow is 1.5 miles per square mile.
| Barstow | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Desert Discovery Center | 0.4 mi | 15 |
| 2. Foglesong Park | — | 10 |
| 3. H Street Soccer Fields | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 6,904 U.S. towns with household incomes like Barstow’s, it is less healthy than 69%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Barstow beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 30% of Barstow adults worry about having enough food.
| Barstow | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Barstow | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.7% | 6.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.3% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Barstow for work: only 17% work in town. The top destinations are Los Angeles (8%), Fort Irwin (5%) and Victorville (3%).
| Barstow | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.1% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Barstow.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Barstow weather station records that about 133 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 101.1°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.9°.
Barstow has mild winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Barstow | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 101°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 37°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Barstow. Close and well known come first.
17 mi Ancient siteCalico Early Man Site
in town MuseumWestern America Railroad Museum12 mi MuseumLiberty Sculpture Park
27 mi MuseumCalifornia Route 66 MuseumCalico Early Man Site: Ellen Levy Finch (Elf), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Western America Railroad Museum: Klaus Nahr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California Route 66 Museum: Sanfel, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Barstow
About 5 of every 100 Barstow residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
17 notable people were born in Barstow.
City in California, United States
Barstow (pronounced BAR-stoh) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the Inland Empire and home to Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Barstow.
Lenwood reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Barstow with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Barstow grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #719 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($89,662 across the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
17 notable people were born here, including Jeanne Crain and Stan Ridgway.
