Charros Rancho Days IMG 0112v02, 2024
Boronda’s story
Boronda in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2024.
Explore the history →BorondaCA
A town of 1,351.
Population
1,351
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$578K
Census ACS
Household income
$63K
median
Median age
33.3
years
Jobs based here
385
A commuter town
Is Boronda a good place to live?
Boronda’s weakest subject grade is a D for hazard risk. Boronda’s July high is 70°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Homes are expensive, about $578K for a typical one and 5.9 times the Salinas metro’s $97K median household income. On the outdoors, just 15 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. Boronda has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,351 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
SalinasBoronda
How Boronda grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Boronda is from typical.
Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listDOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →SchoolsCOpen →HealthNatividad Medical Center 2.4 miles awayC+Open →Jobs & income$63K median household incomeB−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11.9 of 20; 3.1% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 74° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 33.3; 15% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 79 attractions →Monterey Bay Aquarium and 25 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Boronda. Close and well known come first.
14 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
14 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of Art
26 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a year
2 mi MuseumNational Steinbeck Center11 mi Canyon & gorgeMonterey Canyon
18 mi Scenic drive17-Mile DriveSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Steinbeck Center: LordHarris at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 17-Mile Drive: Humanoid one, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Boronda: who provides what
Boronda is unincorporated, so Monterey County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCwsc SalinasNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMonterey CountyMonterey County provides services here
SchoolsSalinas City Elementary School DistrictSalinas Union High School District2 districts serve Boronda; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMonterey County ElectionsMonterey County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP code9390793907 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Boronda.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Very high risk in Boronda, with earthquakes at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 90% of U.S. communities.
90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC
Boronda’s public schools trail 70% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Salinas City Elementary school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
30%of CA districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boronda MeadowsLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 620 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
A smaller share of working residents work locally in Boronda than in most of California or the rest of the country
0.8% of Boronda working residents work locally, below both California’s towns (6.6%) and U.S. towns (8%). Since 2013, Boronda has lost 206 jobs, to 385 in 2023. The top destinations are Salinas (35%), Monterey (6%) and San Jose (5%).
1%work in town
| Boronda | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Boronda1%
Salinas35%
Monterey6%
San Jose5%
Prunedale2%
11 mi
median commute distance
385
jobs based in Boronda
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 49% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and pleasant summers in Boronda
Boronda has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Boronda’s January low is 41°F.
74°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter41–62°
Spring46–67°
Summer53–71°
Fall48–72°
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
74°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Residents of Boronda are less healthy than 56% of U.S. towns
Boronda beats the California average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 21% of Boronda adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
44%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Boronda | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 72% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 19% |
32 measures vs. California
4 better17 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Boronda | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.9% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 16.5% | 20.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 21.1% | 10.6% |
Natividad Medical Center
2.4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Boronda
16pages on Boronda
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Boronda
Hartnell CollegeCommunity college · Public · Salinas1.4 mi$1,404 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-Monterey BayUniversity or college · Public · Seaside7.3 mi$7,779 in-state tuitionNaval Postgraduate SchoolUniversity or college · Public · Monterey13 mi
About 10 of every 100 Boronda residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Boronda for work
Where Boronda’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
385jobs based in Boronda
1%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Boronda
Place in California, United States
Boronda is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. The population was 1,760 at the 2020 census. Boronda is located directly west of Salinas and is named after José Eusebio Boronda y Higuera, a Californio ranchero, and located on the lands of his Rancho Rincón del Sanjón.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 62 ft
- Area code
- 831
Questions about Boronda
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Boronda, CA expensive?
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.