Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 65,001.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Castro Valley grades A− overall, ranked 51st of 841 in California. The median household earns $143K and its schools outperform 87% of the state's. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $1.1 million for a typical one and 8 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Castro Valley’s median rent is $2,554 a month, against $1,895 a month in California’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Castro Valley is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 94% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Five Canyons Open Space, 209 acres with 2.9 miles of trail.
Where Castro Valley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Castro Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Castro Valley is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 94% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,145 in 1940, 66,441 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 8 maps from 1899 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Castro Valley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw14 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw21 mi LandmarkLombard StreetAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain
Castro Valley is unincorporated, so Alameda 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 Castro Valley.
Castro Valley costs more than Hayward or any other town next door, has better schools than San Leandro or any other neighbor and has less no health insurance than most of California.
29 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Castro Valley’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Five Canyons Open Space | 2.9 mi | 209 |
| 2. Garin Regional Park | 1.3 mi | 103 |
| 3. Greenridge Park | 0.5 mi | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A is the best School Grade on its borders; San Leandro (B−) is next. Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.09M.
Its public schools are run by the Castro Valley Unified school district. Three of its 24 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canyon MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,418 | A− |
| Castro Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,874 | A+ |
| Jensen Ranch ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 373 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 6.4% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 3,338 U.S. towns with household incomes like Castro Valley’s, it is less healthy than 57%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Castro Valley beats the California average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 23% of adults have obesity in Castro Valley.
| Castro Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 36% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Castro Valley | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.4% | 10.6% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.7% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Castro Valley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Hayward is next at $816K. The typical value, about $1.09M, is 8% below its June 2022 peak.
The typical Castro Valley home is worth about $1,089,000, up 1.3% in a year, 43% above the California typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Castro Valley for work: only 6% work in town. The average trip to work in Castro Valley is 33 minutes. The top destinations are Oakland (12%), San Francisco (10%) and Hayward (7%).
| Castro Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $143,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 21% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Castro Valley has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (39% statewide). 45% of Castro Valley adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Castro Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.9 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.2 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.5, men 42.1.
| Castro Valley | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.9% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.7% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.3% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 19% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.4% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.5% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
14 within 15 miles of the center of Castro Valley
About 6 of every 100 Castro Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
30 notable people were born in Castro Valley.
Unincorporated community in California, United States
Castro Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Alameda County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, it was the fourth most populous unincorporated area in California. The population was 66,441 at the 2020 census. Castro Valley is named after Guillermo Castro, a noted 19th-century Mexican Californio ranchero who owned the land where the community is located.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Castro Valley.
At #51 in CA, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Fairview (C+) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castro Valley | #51 | A− | D− | — | A | A− |
| Hayward | #528 | C− | D | D | C+ | B+ |
| Fairview | #289 | C+ | D | — | C | A− |
| Ashland | #500 | C− | D | — | C+ | C+ |
| Oakland | #604 | D | D | D− | C | B+ |
| San Leandro | #485 | C− | D | D | B− | B+ |
Castro Valley, Fairview and Ashland report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Castro Valley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Castro Valley grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #51 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−.
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