Bret HarteCA
A town of 4,757.
Is Bret Harte a good place to live?
Bret Harte earns a D−, ranked 770th of 841 in California, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $52K, and 42% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns. 43% of residents live below the poverty line in Bret Harte, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On hazard risk, just 33 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. Bret Harte's public schools trail 75% of California towns on state tests and graduation.
98% of working residents leave Bret Harte for work
Where Bret Harte’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Bret Harte grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Bret Harte is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Bret Harte: who provides what
Bret Harte is unincorporated, so Stanislaus 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bret Harte.
Bret Harte carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly earthquakes) and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has poverty well above the California rate.
Bret Harte stands out in California and nationally, with more of its adults who say their health is fair or poor
40% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Bret Harte. Bret Harte beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 20% of adults report frequent physical distress in Bret Harte.
| Bret Harte | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 22% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bret Harte | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.7% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 29.1% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents commute out of Bret Harte
Bret Harte has 153 jobs for its 1,468 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Bret Harte for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Bret Harte is 31 minutes. Jobs based in Bret Harte grew to 153 in 2023, 56 more than in 2013.
| Bret Harte | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Bret Harte, expect mild winters and hot summers
July afternoons average 94.6°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.1°.
Bret Harte has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Bret Harte’s July high is 95°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Bret Harte | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bret Harte faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by earthquakes
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of California towns, with expected losses of about $169 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2000, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bret Harte.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bret Harte has set aside 1.2% of its land for conservation
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Bret Harte | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fairview Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median home in Bret Harte sells for about $270K
The median property tax bill is $1,573, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
37% of Bret Harte households own their home.
| Bret Harte | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 37% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,384 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Bret Harte
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bret Harte
About 7 of every 100 Bret Harte residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
About Bret Harte
Place in California, United States
Bret Harte is a census-designated place (CDP) in Stanislaus County, California, United States. The population was 5,135 at the 2020 census, down from 5,152 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is named for the American poet and short story writer, Bret Harte, best known for his writings about the California Gold Rush.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
Questions about Bret Harte
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bret Harte, CA a good place to live?
Bret Harte grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #770 of 841 in California. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Bret Harte, CA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $335,000, 56% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.