Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Delano grades D overall, ranked 676th of 841 in California, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 87% of the country. The median household income is $67K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. Delano’s July high is 98°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). On hazard risk, just 54 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. Delano's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 100% of U.S. towns.
Where Delano beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Delano is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The Forty Acres is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 805 in 1920, 51,428 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 4 maps from 1929 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Delano, 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 Delano.
Delano carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly earthquakes), has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Bakersfield and other neighbors.
The median property tax bill is $1,945, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Delano home is worth about $332,000, up 1.1% in a year, 56% below the California typical home. Delano’s median rent is $1,199 a month.
| Delano | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,199 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Delano Union Elementary school district. Three of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| PioneerLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 1,043 | – |
| Wonderful College Prep AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,845 | B− |
| Cesar E. Chavez HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,318 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
42% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Delano. Delano beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 38% of adults get no exercise outside work in Delano.
| Delano | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Delano | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.5% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 17.3% | 20.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 24.2% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Delano weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 309 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Delano weather station records that about 116 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Delano has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The January low in Delano is 39°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 1,009 to 512 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 66% of towns.
| Delano | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Delano has about as many jobs (13,204) as working residents, but only 4,214 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 22.2 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
About one in 3 of Delano’s working residents works in town. 2.8% of Delano workers work from home. Jobs based in Delano fell to 13,204 in 2023, 727 fewer than in 2013.
| Delano | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Work from home | 2.8% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 93% of California towns, with expected losses of about $169 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Delano | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Memorial Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Albany Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Cecil Park | 0.2 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Delano; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Delano residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
9 notable people were born in Delano.
City in California, United States
Delano ( də-LAY-noh) is a city in Kern County, California, United States. Delano is located about 30 miles (48 km) north-northwest of Bakersfield at an elevation of 315 feet (96 m), in the San Joaquin Valley, the southern half of California's Central Valley. The population was 51,428 in 2020, down from 53,041 in 2010. It is Kern County's second-largest city after Bakersfield. Agriculture is Delano's major industry. The area is particularly well known as a center for the growing of table grapes. Delano is also home to two California state prisons, North Kern State Prison and Kern Valley State Prison. The Voice of America once operated one of its largest, most powerful shortwave broadcast fac…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Delano grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #676 of 841 in California. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within California, it does better than 66% of towns.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($70,210 across the Bakersfield-Delano, 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 C.
9 notable people were born here, including Luis Valdez and Benita Valente.
