Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,978, settled in 1870.
Cambria's standout: it has 28 miles of trail. Overall it grades C−, 541st among California's 841 graded towns. It is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $997K for a typical one and 10.2 times the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household income. 45% of residents are 65 or older in Cambria, against 16% in California’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Cambria has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Guthrie House.
Where Cambria beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Cambria | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 14.9% |
21% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Cambria is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,716 in 1970, 5,678 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 3 maps from 1919 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cambria is unincorporated, so San Luis Obispo 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 Cambria.
Cambria is a second-home town and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Cambria’s trail density is 3.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Norris Rancho Marino Reserve, 519 acres with 2.4 miles of trail.
| Cambria | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 3.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 21% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve | 2.4 mi | 519 |
| 2. Moon Stone Beach Park | 0.4 mi | 35 |
| 3. Santa Rosa Creek Natural Preserve | — | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Coast Unified school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Lucia MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 112 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
At 10.2 years of the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household income, the typical home (about $997K) costs more against local pay than in 78% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. 72% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 55.3% across California.
72% of Cambria renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent. The typical Cambria home is worth about $997,000, up 3.5% in a year, 31% above the California typical home. The median rent in Cambria is $1,924 a month.
| Cambria | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 72% | 55% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,924 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cambria.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The nearest emergency room, Adventist Health Twin Cities, is 20.5 miles away in a straight line.
80% of adults had a checkup this year in Cambria. Cambria beats the California average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 6.7% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Cambria.
| Cambria | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Cambria | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 14.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.4% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Morro Bay Fire Dept weather station, 19 miles away, records that about 1 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 46°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 67.7°.
Cambria has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Cambria | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 68°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 46°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,873 working residents takes 21.4 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
About one in 3 of Cambria’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Cambria has added 154 jobs, to 1,551 in 2023. The top destinations are San Luis Obispo (7%), Los Angeles (4%) and El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) (3%).
| Cambria | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $99,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cambria. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi State parkHearst Castle
29 mi LandmarkFort Hunter Liggett18 mi LandmarkLanding of the first Filipinos
25 mi MuseumMission San Miguel Arcángel
30 mi MuseumMission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
24 mi State parkMontaña de Oro State ParkHearst Castle: No machine-readable author provided. Urban~commonswiki assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Hunter Liggett: Binksternet, Public domain · Mission San Miguel Arcángel: Jsweida, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa: Stephen Lea, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Montaña de Oro State Park: BorisFromStockdale, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Cambria; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Cambria residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
2 places in Cambria on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in California
Cambria is an unincorporated community on the Central Coast of California, in San Luis Obispo County, United States. It lies along State Route 1, south of San Simeon. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Cambria as a census-designated place (CDP). Its population was 5,678 at the 2020 census, down from 6,032 in 2010. The surrounding coast is associated with the histories of the Chumash and Salinan peoples. Recovered implements include spear points and arrowheads of obsidian, mortars and pestles of basalt, sandstone and granite, and soapstone kettles and stone hammers. The nineteenth-century town developed around lumbering, ranching, and mercury mining. Touris…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cambria grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #541 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
