East SonoraCA
Home to 2,651 people, this town lies in California.
Is East Sonora a good place to live?
East Sonora’s weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $335K, 4.3 years of the Sonora area’s $77K median household income. It also trails on hazard risk — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 78% of U.S. communities, with wildfire at the top. Where it does best is schools: its schools rank ahead of 58% of California towns. The overall grade comes out at C, 409th of 841 in California. Nationally, it does better than 28% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 35 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. 7.3% of residents are under 18 locally, where California’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. The town’s midpoint age is 61.9 years, above both the California town median (39 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years).
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · USGS PAD-US.
How East Sonora grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far East Sonora is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to East Sonora: who provides what
East Sonora is unincorporated, so Tuolumne 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 East Sonora.
East Sonora has commutes shorter than most of California and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of California; it also is a long drive from an emergency room.
East Sonora stands out in California and nationally, with the median age higher than most
Among adults 25 and older, 31% have a four-year degree or more, against 37% across California. People 65 and older are 48% of residents (16% statewide); children under 18 are 7% of residents (22% statewide).
| East Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 7.3% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 61.9 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 45% and 73% women
The Census survey reached too few of East Sonora’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±14.1 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| East Sonora | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.2% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 18.3% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.6% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 21.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 26.3% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.1% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 33% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 2% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.4% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.5% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
East Sonora has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from wildfire
The national flood insurance program has paid one claim in East Sonora since 2023. FEMA puts 53% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to wildfires, and 39% to inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In East Sonora, expect mild winters and hot summers
The Sonora weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 213 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 82% of California places with climate records. January nights average 34.2°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 84% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 92.4°.
The peak summer temperature for East Sonora comes to 92°F. Snowfall is close to zero. Snow is almost unheard of.
| East Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 92°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 34°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A job hub: East Sonora has 1.4 jobs for every working resident and draws in 1,727 commuters
The average commute for its 1,327 working residents takes 18.5 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
The top destinations are Sonora (11%), Sacramento (3%) and San Jose (3%). Most people who work leave East Sonora to do it: just 5% work in town. In East Sonora, the mean commuting time is 19 minutes. The median commute is under 72 miles.
| East Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.4% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A smaller share of adults in East Sonora binge drink than in the typical California or U.S. town
The nearest emergency room, Oak Valley Hospital District, is 32.2 miles away in a straight line.
44% of adults in East Sonora have high blood pressure; 81% had a checkup this year. Against the California average, East Sonora comes out ahead on 13 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 9. East Sonora: just over a quarter of adults get no exercise outside work.
| East Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 72% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | East Sonora | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.8% | 14.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A home in East Sonora sells for about $367K at the median
The median property tax bill is $1,838, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
East Sonora’s rent at the middle of the market comes in at $1,309 a month. For households in the town, the share who live in a home they own is 65%.
| East Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,309 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about East Sonora
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of East Sonora
About 2 of every 100 East Sonora residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About East Sonora
Census-designated place in California, United States
East Sonora is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tuolumne County, California, United States. The population was 2,431 at the 2020 census, up from 2,266 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,106 ft
East Sonora’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with East Sonora.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Sonora | #409 | C | C− | — | B | B |
| Phoenix Lake | #534 | C− | D | — | B− | B+ |
| Sonora | #687 | D | D | D | B | C+ |
East Sonora and Phoenix Lake report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare East Sonora with a neighbor →
Questions about East Sonora
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is East Sonora, CA a good place to live?
East Sonora grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #409 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is East Sonora, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $335,000, 56% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.