El SobranteRiverside County, CA
This town in California has a population of 13,129.
Is El Sobrante a good place to live?
Cost of living is its weak spot: the typical home is worth about $836K, 9.3 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. El Sobrante grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns, and ranks 296th of 841 in California. It also trails on hazard risk (D): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Incomes are its strong suit — the median household earns $166K. Health is a strength too (A−) — residents are healthier than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Only 71 of California’s 1,063 towns score lower on history. Its midpoint rent is $2,880 a month, above both the California town median ($1,895 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The town’s trail network density is 1.9 miles per square mile, where California’s towns sit at 1.0 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
What makes El Sobrante stand out
Where El Sobrante beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
El Sobrante has grown 10% from 2010 to 2020
12,723 counted in 2010 and 14,039 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How El Sobrante grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far El Sobrante is from typical.
Its grades run from A for jobs and income (better than 87% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 3%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Disneyland and 82 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around El Sobrante. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw27 mi Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
Big draw38 mi MuseumOldest McDonald's restaurant
24 mi Stadium & arenaHonda CenterPhoto credits
Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Angel Stadium of Anaheim: Staff Sgt. Chad McMeen, Public domain · Disney California Adventure: CrispyCream27, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oldest McDonald's restaurant: Northwalker, CC0 · Honda Center: Arnold C (Buchanan-Hermit), Attribution
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Moving to El Sobrante: who provides what
El Sobrante is unincorporated, so Riverside 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 El Sobrante.
El Sobrante has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than Woodcrest and its other neighbors and sends most of its workers to Riverside and beyond.
13.4% of the land in El Sobrante is protected from building
Trails run 14 miles in 1 park or preserve. One park or preserve covers 3 acres in El Sobrante.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Hills Reserve Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
El Sobrante’s schools rank ahead of 61% of California districts
The Riverside Unified school district runs its public schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The 2 public schools in El Sobrante teach 1,371 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mathews ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 733 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
El Sobrante faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected losses in El Sobrante break down as 64% from inland flooding and 23% from earthquakes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For health, El Sobrante earns an A−
That grade tops all 4 graded neighbors; Woodcrest (B) comes closest. Against the 1,851 U.S. towns with household incomes like El Sobrante’s, it is less healthy than 87%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
For adults in El Sobrante, the share who feel lonely is 35%. CDC measures, 32 in all: El Sobrante beats California on 13 and trails on 1. In El Sobrante, 14% of adults binge drink, and 74% had a checkup this year.
| El Sobrante | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 11% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | El Sobrante | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7% | 10.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 10.6% |
| More adults with obesity | 32.5% | 27.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
El Sobrante stands out in California and nationally, with fewer of its residents who live below the poverty line
El Sobrante has 954 jobs for its 6,350 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 36.6 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
El Sobrante had 954 jobs in 2023, up 572 from 2013. For El Sobrante, the average commute is 37 minutes. Most working residents leave El Sobrante for work: only 2% work in town. In El Sobrante, nearly a fifth of workers work from home.
| El Sobrante | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $166,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 19% | 14% | 11% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mild winters and hot summers in El Sobrante
The Riverside Citrus Exp weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 103 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 43.8°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.5°.
El Sobrante’s midsummer high is 92°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| El Sobrante | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 89°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More middle-aged adults than California overall
The median household earns $165,682, against $99,122 across California, one input to its A for jobs and income.
Among adults 25 and older in El Sobrante, 41% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (24% statewide). The midpoint age for El Sobrante comes to 40.4 years.
| El Sobrante | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 22% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| El Sobrante | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.2% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.1% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.9% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.5% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Everything we know about El Sobrante
Colleges nearby
10 within 15 miles of the center of El Sobrante
About 8 of every 100 El Sobrante residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
98% of working residents leave El Sobrante for work
Where El Sobrante’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About El Sobrante
Census-designated place in California, US
El Sobrante (pronounced [el soˈβɾante]; Spanish for 'The Leftovers', 'The Surplus', 'The Remaining Land') is a census-designated place in the Inland Empire region of Riverside County, California. El Sobrante sits at an elevation of 1,283 feet (391 m). The 2020 United States census reported El Sobrante's population was 14,039.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,283 ft
El Sobrante’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with El Sobrante.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Woodcrest (C+) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Sobrante | #296 | C+ | D− | — | B | A− |
| Riverside | #568 | D | D | D | B | C+ |
| Home Gardens | #332 | C | D | — | B+ | C |
| Corona | #381 | C | D− | C | B+ | B |
| Woodcrest | #322 | C+ | D | — | B | B |
El Sobrante, Home Gardens and Woodcrest report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare El Sobrante with a neighbor →
Questions about El Sobrante
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is El Sobrante, CA a good place to live?
El Sobrante grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #296 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is El Sobrante, 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−.