Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a city of 65,001 residents in California.
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. Its standout strength is incomes (A): the median household earns $143K. At A− overall, Castro Valley is better than 78% of U.S. towns and ranks 51st of 841 in California. It also does well on schools — its schools outperform 87% of the state's. The trade-off is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.1 million, 8 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too (D): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. The biggest place to walk is Five Canyons Open Space, 209 acres with 2.9 miles of trail. The city’s rent at the middle of the market is $2,554 a month, against $1,895 a month in California’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap.
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.
Trails total 29 miles in 13 parks and preserves. Castro Valley’s trail network density comes in at 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
That grade is the best School Grade on its borders; San Leandro (B−) is next. It comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.09M.
Public schools: the Castro Valley Unified school district. Below: Three of its 24 schools, each with why it was picked.
| 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: 18% of adults say their health is fair or poor. Among adults in the town, 37% feel lonely and 9.6% smoke cigarettes.
| 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
FEMA puts two thirds of Castro Valley’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 30% to inland flooding. Flood insurance has paid out on 17 claims in the town since 1978. One declared disaster, in 2022, has brought federal aid to Castro Valley households.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · 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.
Homes in Castro Valley are typically worth about $1,089,000, up 1.3% in a year, 43% above the California typical home. A home in Castro Valley typically sold within 16 days of listing. 56% of the homes sold in Castro Valley went for more than their asking price.
| Castro Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,554 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 64% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Just 6% of Castro Valley’s working residents have a job in town. The typical journey to work in the town is 33 minutes. The top destinations are Oakland (12%), San Francisco (10%) and Hayward (7%). 21% of workers do their job from home in the town.
| 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
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
45% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California. Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (39% statewide). The share of residents in Castro Valley who are 65 or older: 19%.
| 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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