Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Colton grades D overall, ranked 694th of 841 in California, mostly because of safety. Its crime rate is higher than 83% of U.S. towns, with 182 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. Colton’s July high is 96°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Colton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns. Colton is home to California University of Science and Medicine.
Where Colton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| California University of Science and Medicine | 564 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Colton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1842, comes before those of 97% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,315 in 1890, 53,909 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1908 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Colton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw38 mi Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
36 mi Stadium & arenaHonda Center
25 mi MountainMount San Antonio
14 mi Stadium & arenaToyota ArenaDisneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Angel Stadium of Anaheim: Staff Sgt. Chad McMeen, Public domain · Disney California Adventure: CrispyCream27, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Honda Center: Arnold C (Buchanan-Hermit), Attribution · Mount San Antonio: The original uploader was Tillman at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Toyota Arena: jondoeforty1, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Colton, 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 Colton.
Colton has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, trades workers with San Bernardino and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 98% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Colton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Colton Joint Unified school district. Two of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| William G. Jehue MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,444 | C− |
| Colton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,729 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 1,991 to 1,154 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Colton is 18.2 per 1,000 residents. Colton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 83% report less. The violent crime rate in Colton is 3.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Colton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.2 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
17 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Colton’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Colton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | — | 15 |
| 2. Cesar Chavez Park | — | 13 |
| 3. George Brown Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Colton home is worth about $497,000, up 1.4% in a year, 35% below the California typical home. 53% of Colton households own their home.
| Colton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,661 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 57% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Colton beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 68% of adults had a checkup this year in Colton.
| Colton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 72% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 16% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Colton | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.4% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 19.1% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Riverside Fire Stn 3 weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 110 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 42.3°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 95.5°.
Colton has warm winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Colton has about as many jobs (24,233) as working residents, but only 1,435 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 13,467 in 2013 to 24,233.
Most working residents leave Colton for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Colton grew to 24,233 in 2023, 10,766 more than in 2013. The top destinations are San Bernardino (13%), Riverside (7%) and Ontario (5%).
| Colton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
18 within 15 miles of the center of Colton
About 7 of every 100 Colton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
15 notable people were born in Colton.
City in California, United States
Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Nicknamed "Hub City", Colton is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is a suburb of San Bernardino, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the city's downtown. The population of Colton is 53,909 according to the 2020 census, up from 52,154 at the 2010 census. Colton is the site of Colton Crossing, which was one of the busiest at-grade railroad crossings in the United States. The crossing was installed in 1882 by the California Southern Railroad to cross the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks while building northward from San Diego. As a result of railroad acquisitions and mergers, this became the point at w…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Colton.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colton | #694 | D | D | C− | C | C |
| Grand Terrace | #518 | C− | D | — | C | B |
| San Bernardino | #766 | D− | C− | D− | C+ | C− |
| Rialto | #693 | D | D | D | C+ | C |
| Loma Linda | #234 | B− | D− | — | B+ | A− |
Grand Terrace and Loma Linda report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Colton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Colton grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #694 of 841 in California. It grades C for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. That is 5.5 years of the area's median household income ($89,662 across the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
15 notable people were born here, including Teresa Scanlan and Kevinn Pinkney.
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