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California›Contra Costa County

Contra Costa CentreCA

A town of 6,893.

Is Contra Costa Centre a good place to live?

For most people who can afford it, yes. Contra Costa Centre grades B overall, 118th of 841 graded towns in California. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 95% of the country. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $733K, 5.4 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 67% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Contra Costa Centre, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. On hazard risk, just 99 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse.

What makes Contra Costa Centre stand out

Where Contra Costa Centre beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

A job hub

Every workday, about 6,882 people come to Contra Costa Centre for work

Where Contra Costa Centre’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

15% → San Francisco San Francisco 15% 10% → Walnut Creek Walnut Creek 10% 9% → Oakland Oakland 9% 6% → Concord Concord 6% 3% → Berkeley Berkeley 3% 3% → Martinez Martinez 3% Contra Costa Centre · 2% stay
6,951jobs based in Contra Costa Centre
2%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Contra Costa Centre grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Contra Costa Centre is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Contra Costa Centre sign
Contra Costa Centre sign, 2008
Contra Costa Centre’s story

Contra Costa Centre in pictures

Census counts: 5,133 in 2000, 6,808 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 8 maps from 1897 on.

Explore the history →
Nearby attractions

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and 204 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Contra Costa Centre. Close and well known come first.

All 275 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0

Getting set up

Moving to Contra Costa Centre: who provides what

Contra Costa Centre is unincorporated, so Contra Costa County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterContra Costa Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesContra Costa CountyContra Costa County provides services here
SchoolsAcalanes Union High School DistrictWalnut Creek Elementary School DistrictMount Diablo Unified School District3 districts serve Contra Costa Centre; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereContra Costa County Elections DivisionContra Costa County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP codes94597, 94523, 9459894597 94% · 94523 4% · 94598 1%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Contra Costa Centre.

Contra Costa Centre draws workers from Concord and beyond, has less no health insurance than most of California and is mostly renters.

HealthA+

Fewer of Contra Costa Centre’s adults have high blood pressure than in the typical California or U.S. town

Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 5% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide.

23% of Contra Costa Centre adults have high blood pressure. Contra Costa Centre beats the California average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 7% of Contra Costa Centre adults have diabetes.

95%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
Contra Costa CentreCalifornia townsU.S. towns
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)23%31%35%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)9.2%14%14%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)69%72%79%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)7%12%12%
32 measures vs. California
21 better9 too close to call2 worse
What stands outContra Costa CentreCA
Fewer uninsured adults5%10.6%
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth5.2%10.6%
More binge drinkers18.3%15.3%
John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek Campus
1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
90th
percentile among CA towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

72%of CA districts it outscoresB+School Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Seven Hills School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8Grades PK–8415–
Fusion Academy--Walnut Creek PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 7–12Grades 7–1240–

NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+

Most working residents commute out of Contra Costa Centre

6,951 jobs are based in Contra Costa Centre, 2.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 4,830 in 2013 to 6,951.

Most working residents leave Contra Costa Centre for work: only 2% work in town. Contra Costa Centre’s average trip to work is 34 minutes. Jobs based in Contra Costa Centre grew to 6,951 in 2023, 2,121 more than in 2013.

2%work in town
Contra Costa CentreCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Work from home23%14%11%
Average trip to work34 minutes28 minutes25 minutes
Median household income$121,000$95,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town2.4%6.6%8%

Where working residents work

In Contra Costa Centre2%
San Francisco15%
Walnut Creek10%
Oakland9%
Concord6%
16 mi
median commute distance
6,951
jobs based in Contra Costa Centre
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
A+
Walkability grade: among the most walkable U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−

Very high risk in Contra Costa Centre, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities.

99risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
99Very high riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingEarthquakes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

OutdoorsB−

0.1% of Contra Costa Centre is conserved land

1.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Contra Costa Centre is 1.7 miles per square mile.

#213for trails in CA
Contra Costa CentreCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile1.7 miles per square mile1.00.4
Conserved land0.1%4.3%4.3%
0.1%
conserved · 0 of 408 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 1.7 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Fox Creek Park—1

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Climate

Contra Costa Centre has mild winters and pleasant summers

Contra Costa Centre has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.

87°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter40–58°
Spring47–71°
Summer55–85°
Fall49–75°
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
87°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HousingCost of living grade D−

Contra Costa Centre stands out in California and nationally: a smaller share of its households own their home

15% of households own their home in Contra Costa Centre. The median sale price was $889,000 in May 2026.

$889Kmedian sale price
Contra Costa CentreCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Households that own their home15%64%73%
Median rent$2,713 a month$1,895 a month$1,185 a month
Market temperature
Seller’s marketA strong seller's marketBuyer’sSeller’s
19
days on market
99.4%
sale-to-list price
6
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Contra Costa Centre

17pages on Contra Costa Centre
After high school

Colleges nearby

21 within 15 miles of the center of Contra Costa Centre

About Contra Costa Centre

Place in California, United States

Contra Costa Centre is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Contra Costa Centre sits at an elevation of 92 feet (28 m). The 2010 United States census reported Contra Costa Centre's population was 5,364, while the 2020 census figure was 6,808. Contra Costa Centre is served by the Pleasant Hill / Contra Costa Centre BART station. It is the successor to the Waldon CDP of the 2000 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
0.6 sq mi
Elevation
302 ft
Area code
925

Contra Costa Centre’s neighbors

2 towns share a border with Contra Costa Centre.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownCA rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Contra Costa Centre#118BD−—B+A+
Walnut Creek#223B−D−C−B+A+
Pleasant Hill#300C+D−DBA

Contra Costa Centre reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Contra Costa Centre with a neighbor →

Questions about Contra Costa Centre

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Contra Costa Centre, CA a good place to live?

For most people who can afford it, yes. Contra Costa Centre grades B overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #118 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.

Is Contra Costa Centre, CA expensive?

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−.