Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More weak spots than strong ones. Castroville grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns, and ranks 699th of 841 in California. Its weakest is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $677K, 7 years of the Salinas metro’s $97K median household income. It also trails on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 77% of the country. Hazard risk is weaker too — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Where it does best is walkability (B+): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns. Castroville Japanese Language School is on the National Register of Historic Places. The town’s peak summer temperature is 66°F, below both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
Where Castroville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Castroville Japanese Language School6,481 counted in 2010 and 7,515 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Castroville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,865 in 1950, 7,515 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1991 and 5 maps from 1912 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Castroville. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
14 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of Art5 mi Canyon & gorgeMonterey Canyon
32 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a year
17 mi Scenic drive17-Mile Drive
13 mi MuseumMission San Juan BautistaMonterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 17-Mile Drive: Humanoid one, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mission San Juan Bautista: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
Castroville 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Castroville.
Castroville has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has more than doubled its jobs in ten years.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Castroville, 71% come from earthquakes and 26% from inland flooding. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1995: 4.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the North Monterey County Unified school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Monterey County MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 624 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
28% of Castroville adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. The town does better than the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 18. Two figures for adults in the town: 36% worry about having enough food, 66% had a checkup this year.
| Castroville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 72% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Castroville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.7% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 16.9% | 20.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 27.5% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 660 in 2013 to 1,795.
7.5% of workers do their job from home in Castroville. Only 8% of working residents stay in Castroville for work; the rest commute out. Jobs based in Castroville grew to 1,795 in 2023, 1,135 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Salinas (16%), San Jose (7%) and Monterey (7%).
| Castroville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.5% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Monterey Wfo weather station, 13 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 42.6°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 66.3°.
The January low in Castroville is 43°F. The seasons here: warm winters, cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Castroville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 66°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 43°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For Castroville, the midpoint rent is $1,948 a month. The typical home value here is about $677,000, down 0.5% in a year, 11% below the California typical home. The share of households in Castroville who own their home: 46%.
| Castroville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,948 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Trails total 0.6 miles in 1 park or preserve. One park or preserve covers 2 acres in Castroville.
| Castroville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. NCRPD | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
5 within 15 miles of the center of Castroville
About 3 of every 100 Castroville residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Castroville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Unincorporated community in California, United States
Castroville is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 7,515, up from 6,481 in 2010. Castroville is known for its artichoke crop and for the annual Castroville Artichoke Festival, leading to its nickname as the "Artichoke Center of the World". The community's origins lie in Rancho Bolsa Nueva y Moro Cojo, a Mexican-era rancho granted to the Castro family of Californio rancheros. Following the American Conquest of California, Juan Bautista Castro founded Castroville in 1863.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Castroville grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #699 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health and C for schools. Hazard risk 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.
2 notable people were born here, including James J. Keating and James W. Silliman.
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