Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 76,948, settled in 1921.
Carmichael grades C+ overall, 244th among California's 841 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns and it has 19 miles of trail. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $550K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Sacramento metro’s $97K median household income. On hazard risk, just 21 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. Carmichael’s July high is 95°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. The biggest place to walk is American River Parkway, 743 acres with 12.6 miles of trail.
Where Carmichael beats most towns.
61,762 counted in 2010 and 79,793 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Carmichael is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,499 in 1950, 79,793 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 7 maps from 1902 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carmichael. Close and well known come first.
9 mi State parkSutter's Fort
11 mi Stadium & arenaARCO Arena
7 mi Stadium & arenaHornet Stadium
9 mi State parkGovernor's Mansion State Historic Park
10 mi MuseumCalifornia State Railroad Museum500K visitors a year
10 mi State parkLeland Stanford Mansion State Historic ParkSutter's Fort: Ian Howard, CC BY 2.5 · ARCO Arena: CLopez63, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hornet Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Governor's Mansion State Historic Park: Mark James Miller, CC BY 3.0 · California State Railroad Museum: The original uploader was Swampyank at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park: M.Mierzwa. MCalamari at en.wikipedia, Public domain
Carmichael is unincorporated, so Sacramento 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 Carmichael.
Carmichael carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding) and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
The trail density in Carmichael is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Carmichael | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.1% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. American River Parkway | 12.6 mi | 743 |
| 2. Gibbons Park | 1.2 mi | 17 |
| 3. Schweitzer Grove | 1 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Two of its 24 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Montessori Project-San Juan CampusesLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 1,545 | – |
| Del Campo HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,548 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Carmichael for work: only 7% work in town. 21% of workers work from home in Carmichael. The top destinations are Sacramento (25%), Roseville (6%) and Rancho Cordova (5%).
| Carmichael | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
52% of Carmichael households own their home. The typical Carmichael home is worth about $550,000, about the same as a year ago, 28% below the California typical home. Carmichael’s median rent is $1,702 a month.
| Carmichael | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,702 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 59% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Carmichael beats the California average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Carmichael | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 24% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Carmichael | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.7% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of California towns, with expected losses of about $177 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 44 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Carmichael.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 95°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.9°.
Carmichael has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 21% of residents (16% statewide). 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Carmichael | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.6, men 37.3.
| Carmichael | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.6% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.4% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.6% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.6% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.9% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.7% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
10 within 15 miles of the center of Carmichael
About 7 of every 100 Carmichael residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Carmichael’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
16 notable people were born in Carmichael.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Carmichael is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is an unincorporated suburb in the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area. The population was 79,793 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Carmichael.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmichael | #244 | C+ | D | — | B− | B+ |
| Citrus Heights | #407 | C | C− | C− | B− | B |
| North Highlands | #442 | C | C | — | B− | C |
| Rancho Cordova | #314 | C+ | D | C− | B+ | B+ |
| Arden-Arcade | #406 | C | D | — | B− | B− |
| La Riviera | #111 | B+ | C− | — | B | B+ |
| Foothill Farms | #472 | C− | C− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Fair Oaks | #133 | B | D | — | B− | A− |
Carmichael, North Highlands, Arden-Arcade, La Riviera, Foothill Farms and Fair Oaks report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Carmichael with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Carmichael grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #244 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and B− 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.
16 notable people were born here, including Brenda Song and John Daly.
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