Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 91,983, settled in 1890.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Folsom grades B+ overall, 117th of 841 graded towns in California. Residents are healthier than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its schools outperform 80% of the state's. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $755K for a typical one and 7.8 times the Sacramento metro’s $97K median household income. Folsom’s July high is 95°F, above both the California town median (89°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Only 76 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk. Folsom is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns.
Where Folsom beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Folsom is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Folsom Powerhouse is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 609 in 1890, 80,454 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 6 maps from 1914 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Folsom. Close and well known come first.
19 mi State parkSutter's Fort
20 mi Stadium & arenaARCO Arena
17 mi Stadium & arenaHornet Stadium
19 mi State parkGovernor's Mansion State Historic Park
20 mi MuseumCalifornia State Railroad Museum500K visitors a year
20 mi State parkLeland Stanford Mansion State Historic ParkSutter's Fort: Ian Howard, CC BY 2.5 · ARCO Arena: CLopez63, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hornet Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Governor's Mansion State Historic Park: Mark James Miller, CC BY 3.0 · California State Railroad Museum: The original uploader was Swampyank at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park: M.Mierzwa. MCalamari at en.wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Folsom, 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 Folsom.
Folsom carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and has less food insecurity than most of California.
Its widest gap with California is food insecurity: 9.4% of its 62,597 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.9% statewide. Against the 3,584 U.S. towns with household incomes like Folsom’s, it is healthier than 76%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
16% of Folsom adults get no exercise outside work. Folsom beats the California average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 71% of Folsom adults had a checkup this year.
| Folsom | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Folsom | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 7.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $755K.
Its public schools are run by the Folsom-Cordova Unified school district. Two of its 23 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,628 | – |
| Folsom HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,901 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
38 miles of trail in 50 parks and preserves. Folsom’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile. Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, at 2,396 acres with 5.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. American River Parkway | 10.6 mi | 920 |
| 2. Folsom Lake State Recreation Area | 5.9 mi | 2,396 |
| 3. Mormon Island Wetlands Natural Preserve | 1.2 mi | 97 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 95.3°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.4°.
Folsom has mild winters and hot summers. The January low in Folsom is 38°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
31% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
About one in 5 of Folsom’s working residents works in town. 31% of workers work from home in Folsom. Jobs based in Folsom grew to 43,877 in 2023, 9,547 more than in 2013.
| Folsom | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 31% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $140,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 1,532 to 1,262 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 72% of towns.
| Folsom | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 92% of California towns, with expected losses of about $262 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1986, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Folsom.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical value, about $755K, is 9% below its June 2022 peak.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7 within 15 miles of the center of Folsom
About 6 of every 100 Folsom residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
72,203 counted in 2010 and 80,454 in 2020; an estimated 91,983 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 14.3% since 2020, after 11.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Folsom on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Folsom.
City in California, United States
Folsom is a city in northeastern Sacramento County, California, United States. A population estimate on January 1, 2026, puts the city's population at 95,680 residents. Folsom is well known for its Gold Rush history, dating back to the mid 19th century. It is also associated with musician Johnny Cash and the Folsom State Prison, located in the northwest area of the city, and as a major hub for outdoor recreation centered around Folsom Lake and Lake Natoma.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Folsom.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folsom | #117 | B+ | D− | C+ | A− | A |
| Orangevale | #245 | C+ | D | — | B− | B+ |
| Fair Oaks | #133 | B | D | — | B− | A− |
| El Dorado Hills | #48 | A− | D− | — | A | A |
| Granite Bay | #52 | A− | D− | — | A | A |
Orangevale, Fair Oaks, El Dorado Hills and Granite Bay report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Folsom with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Folsom grades B+ overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #117 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 72% of towns.
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−.
13 notable people were born here, including Ben Deeley and Denver S. Church.
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