Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3,105 people, the town was settled in 1920. 14.2 times the library visits per person than the typical California town.
A good place to live, if you can afford it. It does especially well on health: it is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns. Taken together, its subjects give Carmel-by-the-Sea an A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns. That places it 33rd of 841 in California. The drawback is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $2.4 million, 25 years of the Salinas metro’s $97K median household income. No town in California scores higher than Carmel-by-the-Sea on civic life. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more here, against 29% in California’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. The town is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
Where Carmel-by-the-Sea beats most towns.
3,722 counted in 2010 and 3,220 in 2020; an estimated 3,105 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 3.7% since 2020, after 13.5% 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 Carmel-by-the-Sea is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Carmel Mission is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 638 in 1920, a peak of 4,707 in 1980, 3,220 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1770 and 5 maps from 1913 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carmel-by-the-Sea, 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 Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a second-home town, draws workers from Seaside and beyond and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 25 years of the Salinas metro’s $97K median household income, the typical home (about $2.43M) costs more against local pay than in 98% of California towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Homes in Carmel-by-the-Sea are typically worth about $2,430,000, up 6.9% in a year, 3 times the California typical home. For Carmel-by-the-Sea, the going rate for rent is $2,707 a month. Carmel-by-the-Sea: three in five households are owner-occupiers.
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,707 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Trails run 3.1 miles in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Carmel Beach City Park, at 39 acres. Carmel-by-the-Sea’s density of trails comes in at 2.8 miles per square mile.
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.1% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mission Trails Preserve | 2 mi | 34 |
| 2. Carmel Beach City Park | 0.6 mi | 39 |
| 3. Carmel Youth Baseball Larson Field | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2,017 jobs are based in Carmel-by-the-Sea, 3.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 10.9 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
The share of residents in Carmel-by-the-Sea who live below the poverty line: 6.2%. The median commute is under 54 miles. In Carmel-by-the-Sea, the typical household income is $129,000. The top destinations are Monterey (7%), Salinas (6%) and San Jose (6%).
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $129,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
41% of adults have high blood pressure in Carmel-by-the-Sea. No town among the 847 in California we compare has a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Carmel-by-the-Sea. Of 32 CDC measures, Carmel-by-the-Sea beats the California average on 19 and trails it on 6. Only 5 of the 847 California towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Carmel-by-the-Sea.
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Carmel-by-the-Sea | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.1% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.3% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.8% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On expected storm and flood damage, Carmel-by-the-Sea sits above 71% of U.S. communities. Since 2001, Carmel-by-the-Sea has seen 3 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA puts nearly two thirds of the town’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 34% to inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Carmel-by-the-Sea after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Monterey Wfo weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 44°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 65.5°.
Snow is a rarity. Its typical July afternoon high stands at 66°F.
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 66°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carmel-by-the-Sea. Close and well known come first.
5 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
3 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of Art
3 mi Scenic drive17-Mile Drive
38 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a year17 mi Canyon & gorgeMonterey Canyon
29 mi Theme parkSanta Cruz Beach BoardwalkMonterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 17-Mile Drive: Humanoid one, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Josta Photo, CC BY 2.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Carmel-by-the-Sea
About 1 of every 100 Carmel-by-the-Sea residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Carmel-by-the-Sea’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Carmel-by-the-Sea on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
City in California, United States
Carmel-by-the-Sea (), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,220, down from 3,722 at the 2010 census. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is a tourist destination, known for its natural scenery and artistic history. The Spanish founded a settlement in 1771, when Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo was relocated by St. Junípero Serra from Monterey. Mission Carmel served as the headquarters of the Californian mission system, until the Mexican secularization act of 1833, when the area was divided into rancho grants. The settlement was largely abandoned…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Carmel-by-the-Sea.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | #33 | A− | D− | — | A | A |
| Del Monte Forest | #93 | B+ | D− | — | B+ | A |
Carmel-by-the-Sea and Del Monte Forest report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Carmel-by-the-Sea with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Carmel-by-the-Sea grades A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns and #33 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
6 notable people were born here, including Carrie Lucas and William Morris.
