Frank Patterson 4G14 - Garberville, Cal, 1920s
Garberville’s story
152 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1920.
- 1874Garberville is settled
GarbervilleCA
A town of 1,415, settled in 1874.
Photo: Ellin Beltz · Public domain
Population
1,415
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$302K
−9.2% in a year
Household income
$40K
median
Median age
42.3
years
Jobs based here
429
A job hub
Is Garberville a good place to live?
Garberville’s best subject grade is an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 43% of residents live below the poverty line in Garberville, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 7 of California’s 1,056 towns score lower on incomes. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 101 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on the outdoors. Garberville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Garberville stand out
Where Garberville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here429
Residents who work173
Work
2.5 jobs for every working resident
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 96% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 76% of U.S. towns
6.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD−
Inland flooding and earthquakes at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
Small town
1,415 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Garberville grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Garberville is from typical.
Jobs & incomeD−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 86% of U.S. towns; Jerold Phelps Community Hospital 0.1 miles awayDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.4 of 20; 10.9% of households have no carA−Open →SchoolsBehind 76% of California districts on tests and graduationC−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 82° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 42.3; 22% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Garberville: who provides what
Garberville is unincorporated, so Humboldt County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGarberville Sanitary DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHumboldt CountyHumboldt 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 hereHumboldt County Office of ElectionsHumboldt County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP code9554295542 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 Garberville.
HousingCost of living grade D
Garberville’s typical home value is about $302K
The typical Garberville home is worth about $302,000, down 9.2% in a year, 60% below the California typical home. 54% of households own their home in Garberville, against 64% in California’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Garberville’s median rent is $1,293 a month.
$302KZillow home value
| Garberville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,293 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Garberville$302K
California$762K
−9.2%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
The median household income in Garberville is lower than in the typical California or U.S. town
The median household income in Garberville is $40,000. Since 2013, Garberville has lost 111 jobs, to 429 in 2023. The average trip to work in Garberville is 16 minutes.
22%work in town
| Garberville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Garberville22%
Redway13%
Eureka6%
Miranda6%
Arcata4%
13 mi
median commute distance
429
jobs based in Garberville
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Very high risk in Garberville, with inland flooding at the top
98risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesLandslides
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthD
Garberville stands out in California and nationally: a larger share of its adults smoke cigarettes
20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Garberville. Garberville beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 29% of adults get no exercise outside work in Garberville.
14%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Garberville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 23% |
32 measures vs. California
0 better13 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Garberville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 5.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.7% | 10.6% |
| More smokers | 19.9% | 10.9% |
Jerold Phelps Community Hospital
0.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Garberville has mild winters and pleasant summers
Garberville has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.
82°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–54°
Spring43–64°
Summer52–79°
Fall45–69°
Dec 1
typical first frost
Mar 10
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
82°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.7%conserved
0.7%
conserved · 12 of 1,743 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tooby Memorial Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Garberville
17pages on Garberville
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Garberville; the nearest are
College of the RedwoodsCommunity college · Public · Eureka46.4 mi$1,198 in-state tuitionCalifornia State Polytechnic University-HumboldtUniversity or college · Public · Arcata55.7 mi$8,250 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Garberville residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A job hub
Every workday, about 391 people come to Garberville for work
Where Garberville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
429jobs based in Garberville
22%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Garberville
Census-designated place in California, United States
Garberville is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California, United States. It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River 52 miles (84 km) south-southeast of Eureka, at an elevation of 535 feet (163 m). The population was 818 at the 2020 United States census. It is approximately 200 miles (320 km) north of San Francisco, California, and within a fifteen-minute drive to Humboldt Redwoods State Park and a sixty-minute drive to Eureka, the county seat. Garberville is the primary town in the area known as the Mateel Region, consisting of parts of the Mattole and Eel River watersheds in southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 535 ft
- ZIP code
- 95542
Questions about Garberville
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Garberville, CA expensive?
Yes. That is 4.9 years of the area's median household income ($61,160 across the Eureka-Arcata, 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 D.