Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Clayton grades B+ overall, ranked 83rd of 841 in California. It has 13 miles of trail. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 93% of the country and it reports less crime per resident than 78% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $1.0 million, 7.5 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Clayton’s median rent is $3,501 a month, against $1,895 a month in California’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Clayton is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. Clayton Vineyards-DeMartini Winery is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Clayton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
19.4% of the town is conserved land, across 12 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Clayton is from typical.
Its grades run from A for health (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,385 in 1970, 11,070 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1938 and 6 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clayton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw23 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
4 mi MountainMount Diablo
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Mount Diablo: Trurl66, Public domain · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clayton, and how to reach them.
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 Clayton.
Clayton fares better on crime within California than nationally, has less no health insurance than most of California and has home values still below their peak.
The trail density in Clayton is 3.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is City of Clayton Open Space, 437 acres with 3.9 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City of Clayton Open Space | 3.9 mi | 437 |
| 2. Easley Estates Park | 1 mi | 11 |
| 3. Regency Woods Park | 0.7 mi | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Mt. Diablo Unified school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Diablo ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 739 | A |
| Diablo View MiddleTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 514 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 3.9% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 1,508 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clayton’s, it is less healthy than 54%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
7.6% of adults smoke cigarettes in Clayton. Clayton beats the California average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Clayton.
| Clayton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.6% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Clayton | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Clayton since 1998.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 8.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 97% of California’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
Clayton’s violent crime rate is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Clayton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical value, about $1.03M, is 9% below its June 2022 peak. 73.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 55.3% across California.
89% of Clayton households own their home. The typical Clayton home is worth about $1,027,000, up 1.8% in a year, 35% above the California typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Clayton has 1,208 jobs for its 4,821 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Clayton for work: only 3% work in town. The top destinations are Concord (12%), Walnut Creek (11%) and San Francisco (9%). Half commute less than 19 miles.
| Clayton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $176,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 22% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 2.5% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Clayton has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3 within 15 miles of the center of Clayton
About 8 of every 100 Clayton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Clayton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 notable people were born in Clayton.
City in California, United States
Clayton (formerly Clayton's and Claytonville) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 11,585 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Clayton.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Clayton grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #83 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, A− for safety 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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Kara Kohler and Bob Jones.
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