Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Where it falls short is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.3 million, 13.1 years of the Salinas metro’s $97K median household income. Carmel Valley Village ranks 324th of 841 in California, with a C+ overall. Set against the rest, it does better than 36% of U.S. towns. Health is its strong suit — residents are healthier than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also trails on hazard risk (D−): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Garland Ranch Regional Park, at 2,082 acres with 26.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 33% of residents are 65 or older in the town, above both the California town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). The town’s July high is 78°F, below both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Carmel Valley Village is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where Carmel Valley Village beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1897 and 6 maps from 1921 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Where Carmel Valley Village’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Ordered by what stands out in Carmel Valley Village.
Carmel Valley Village has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 45 miles of trail. Carmel Valley Village’s trail network density is put at 2.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Garland Ranch Regional Park | 26.1 mi | 2,082 |
| 2. Carmel Valley Community Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Public schools: the Carmel Unified school district. Carmel Valley Village’s only public school teaches 447 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tularcitos ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 447 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,376 U.S. towns with household incomes like Carmel Valley Village’s, it is healthier than 62%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
On the CDC’s 32 measures, Carmel Valley Village is ahead of California on 18 and behind on 5. The share of adults in Carmel Valley Village who report frequent mental distress is 13%.
| Carmel Valley Village | Typical California town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 36% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Carmel Valley Village | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.6% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.4% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1998, Carmel Valley Village has seen 21 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA puts 62% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 27% to earthquakes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Carmel Valley Village after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
36.1% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
The average commute here in Carmel Valley Village is 29 minutes. Just 11% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs locally rose by 234, to 1,096. Among residents in the town, 4.8% live below the poverty line.
| Carmel Valley Village | Typical California town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $156,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 78°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 40°.
Snow almost never falls. Rain and melted snow add up to about 24 inches a year in Carmel Valley Village.
| Carmel Valley Village | Typical California town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 40°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13.1 years of the Salinas metro’s $97K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 89% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $8,618, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
In Carmel Valley Village, the rent at the middle of the market is $2,211 a month. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 79%. Homes in Carmel Valley Village sold for 96.1% of their list price on average.
| Carmel Valley Village | Typical California town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,211 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carmel Valley Village. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
27 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a year
14 mi Scenic drive17-Mile Drive20 mi Canyon & gorgeMonterey Canyon
36 mi Theme parkSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk
26 mi MuseumMission San Juan BautistaMonterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 17-Mile Drive: Humanoid one, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Josta Photo, CC BY 2.0 · Mission San Juan Bautista: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
Carmel Valley Village is unincorporated, so Monterey 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.
5 within 15 miles of the center of Carmel Valley Village
About 5 of every 100 Carmel Valley Village residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Unincorporated community in California, United States
Carmel Valley is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. The term "Carmel Valley" generally refers to the Carmel River watershed east of California State Route 1, and not specifically to the smaller Carmel Valley Village. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Carmel Valley as a census county division (CCD), with an area covering approximately 189 square miles (490 km2). At the time of the 2020 census the CCD population was 6,189. In November 2009, a majority of residents voted against incorporation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Carmel Valley Village grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #324 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,276,000, 67% above 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 D−.
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