Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 67 people, the town was settled in 1922.
31% of residents live below the poverty line in Big Bend, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Big Bend has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 149 in 2000, 79 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
Big Bend is unincorporated, so Shasta County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Big Bend.
The natural-hazard score from FEMA in Big Bend is 96 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 67% come from wildfires and 25% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The range runs from 30° on a January night to 94° on a July afternoon, with about 19 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Big Bend. This California town beats the California average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16.
| Big Bend | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Big Bend | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.5% | 10.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 76.7% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Big Bend; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Big Bend residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Place in California, United States
Big Bend of the Madesi Valley is the indigenous homeland of the Madesi tribe, located in Shasta County, northeastern California, United States. It is named for a major change in course of the Pit River. Its population is 79 as of the 2020 census, down from 102 from the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Big Bend as a census-designated place (CDP).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Big Bend has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.