CottonwoodKern County, CA
Some 3,107 people live in this town, in California.
Is Cottonwood a good place to live?
Cottonwood’s weakest is health: on CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. Walkability is its strong suit (B+): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 68% of U.S. towns. Homes run about $322K for a typical one, 4.6 times the Bakersfield metro’s $70K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to a D− overall, ranking 805th of 841 in California. On that grade it does behind almost every U.S. town. 47% of residents live below the poverty line in the town, against 10% in California’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 6 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Cottonwood. Cottonwood's public schools trail 77% of California towns on state tests and graduation.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · Census LEHD, 2023.
100% of working residents leave Cottonwood for work
Where Cottonwood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Cottonwood grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Cottonwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Cottonwood: who provides what
Cottonwood is unincorporated, so Kern 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Cottonwood.
Cottonwood has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Bakersfield and beyond, but it has poverty well above the California rate.
More of Cottonwood’s adults report frequent physical distress than in the typical California or U.S. town
Cottonwood: 45% of adults get no exercise outside work. Among 847 California towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Cottonwood. Against the California average, Cottonwood comes out ahead on 2 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 25.
| Cottonwood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Cottonwood | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.5% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 31.9% | 35.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 23.4% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Cottonwood stands out in California and nationally: a larger share of its residents live below the poverty line
Cottonwood has 65 jobs for its 863 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 22.3 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Half commute less than 8 miles. Cottonwood’s typical household income stands at $44,000. Jobs based in the town fell to 65 in 2023, 40 fewer than in 2013. 0.3% of working residents work locally here.
| Cottonwood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 47% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect mild winters and hot summers in Cottonwood
The Bakersfield Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 112 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 99.3°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 40.1°.
In Cottonwood, the typical July afternoon high is 99°F. Snow is a rarity.
| Cottonwood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 99°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 40°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest natural risk in Cottonwood is earthquakes, at a high overall level
FEMA puts 53% of Cottonwood’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 26% to inland flooding. Compared with two thirds of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is higher.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dignity Health Arena and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cottonwood. Close and well known come first.
2 mi Stadium & arenaDignity Health Arena
33 mi MuseumFort Tejon
4 mi MuseumKern County Museum85K visitors a year
25 mi National MonumentCésar E. Chávez National Monument31K visitors a year8 mi Zoo & aquariumCalifornia Living Museum
3 mi MuseumBakersfield Museum of ArtPhoto credits
Dignity Health Arena: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 · Fort Tejon: Yellowute at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Kern County Museum: (WT-de) Mistoffeles, CC BY-SA 4.0 · César E. Chávez National Monument: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 · Bakersfield Museum of Art: Skyman9999. Skyman9999, CC0
Everything we know about Cottonwood
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Cottonwood
About 6 of every 100 Cottonwood residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Cottonwood
Census-designated place near Bakersfield, US
Cottonwood is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California. The CDP is within the Bakersfield's census county division, and borders the city of Bakersfield on every side except the west, where it abuts Casa Loma.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Cottonwood’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Cottonwood.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood | #805 | D− | C | — | C− | D− |
| Casa Loma | — | — | B− | — | C− | D− |
Casa Loma has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Cottonwood and Casa Loma report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cottonwood with a neighbor →
Questions about Cottonwood
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cottonwood, CA a good place to live?
Cottonwood grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #805 of 841 in California. It grades D− for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Cottonwood, CA expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.