Round Valley Flour Mills · National Register of Historic Places
Covelo’s story
156 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1870Covelo is settled
CoveloCA
A town of 1,286, settled in 1870.
Photo: AnonymousEditor95 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,286
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$245K
−3.7% in a year
Household income
$35K
median
Median age
32.3
years
Jobs based here
256
Balanced
Is Covelo a good place to live?
The best of Covelo’s subject grades are a B+ for walkability and a B for history; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 37% of residents live below the poverty line in Covelo, against 10% in California’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On incomes, just 1 of California’s 1,056 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 98 of California’s 1,063 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Hidden Oaks Park, at 49 acres. Covelo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,286 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Covelo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Covelo is from typical.
Jobs & income$35K median household incomeD−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →HealthLess healthy than 91% of U.S. towns; Jerold Phelps Community Hospital 35.4 miles awayDOpen →SchoolsDOpen →Cost of livingC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6 of 20; 14.4% of households have no car; 7.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trailsCOpen →History1 place on the National Register; 2 notable people born hereBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 32.3; 13% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Covelo: who provides what
Covelo is unincorporated, so Mendocino County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRound Valley Piner water system2 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesMendocino CountyMendocino County provides services here
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.govWho runs elections hereMendocino County Clerk-ElectionsMendocino County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code9542895428 100%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 Covelo.
HousingCost of living grade C−
Covelo’s typical home value is about $245K
The typical Covelo home is worth about $245,000, down 3.7% in a year, 68% below the California typical home. 53% of Covelo households own their home, where California’s towns sit at 64% and U.S. towns at 73%. The median rent in Covelo is $1,281 a month.
$245KZillow home value
| Covelo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,281 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Covelo$245K
California$762K
−3.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsD
On state tests, Covelo’s schools trail 88% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Round Valley Unified school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
12%of CA districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round Valley ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 313 | D |
| Round Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 113 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Very high risk in Covelo, with inland flooding at the top
98risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesWildfire
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthD
Covelo stands out in California and nationally, with more of its adults who smoke cigarettes
23% of Covelo adults smoke cigarettes. Covelo beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 40% of Covelo adults sleep under 7 hours.
9%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Covelo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
0 better10 too close to call22 worse
| What stands out | Covelo | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.5% | 7.3% |
| More smokers | 22.8% | 10.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.4% | 10.6% |
Jerold Phelps Community Hospital
35.4 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Covelo has mild winters and hot summers
Covelo has mild winters and hot summers. Covelo’s July high is 92°F.
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–54°
Spring40–67°
Summer52–89°
Fall42–74°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Covelo has 0.9 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
About one in 4 of Covelo’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Covelo has added 50 jobs, to 256 in 2023. The top destinations are Ukiah (3%), San Francisco (2%) and Sacramento (2%).
27%work in town
| Covelo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Covelo27%
Ukiah3%
San Francisco2%
Sacramento2%
Williams1%
4 mi
median commute distance
256
jobs based in Covelo
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 4,541 acres
1.9 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hidden Oaks Park | 0.4 mi | 49 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Covelo
18pages on Covelo
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Covelo; the nearest are
Mendocino CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ukiah42.2 mi$1,423 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-ChicoUniversity or college · Public · Chico74.9 mi$8,472 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Covelo residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A growing town
Covelo has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020
1,255 counted in 2010 and 1,394 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Questions about Covelo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Covelo, CA expensive?
Yes. That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($68,092 across the Ukiah, CA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
What is Covelo, CA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Michelle Lambert and Thomas J. Long.