Hazel Station SacRT, 2024
Gold River’s story
Gold River in pictures
Census counts: 8,023 in 2000, 7,844 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2024 and 5 maps from 1914 on.
Explore the history →Gold RiverCA
A town of 7,924.
Population
7,924
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$724K
Census ACS
Household income
$175K
median
Median age
53.9
years
Jobs based here
5,404
A job hub
TownGrade
A−
#61 of 841 in CA
Is Gold River a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Gold River grades A− overall, ranked 61st of 841 in California. The median household earns $175K. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 94% of the country. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $724K, 7.5 years of the Sacramento metro’s $97K median household income. 33% of residents are 65 or older in Gold River, above both California’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 35 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk. Gold River is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns.
What makes Gold River stand out
Where Gold River beats most towns.
A job hub
Every workday, about 5,265 people come to Gold River for work
Where Gold River’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
5,404jobs based in Gold River
4%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Gold River grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Gold River is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 11%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →HealthMercy San Juan Medical Center 4.5 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.7 of 20; 4.5% of households have no carAOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 40% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →SchoolsB−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.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 47 attractions →Sutter's Fort and 33 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gold River. Close and well known come first.
13 mi State parkSutter's Fort
15 mi Stadium & arenaARCO Arena
11 mi Stadium & arenaHornet Stadium
13 mi State parkGovernor's Mansion State Historic Park
14 mi MuseumCalifornia State Railroad Museum500K visitors a year
14 mi State parkLeland Stanford Mansion State Historic ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Sutter'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
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Getting set up
Moving to Gold River: who provides what
Gold River is unincorporated, so Sacramento County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSacramento Municipal Util Dist18.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGolden State Water Co. - CordovaNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSacramento CountySacramento 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 hereCounty of Sacramento Voter Registration and ElectionsSacramento County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP code9567095670 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 Gold River.
Gold River carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Sacramento and beyond and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Fewer of Gold River’s residents live below the poverty line than in the typical California or U.S. town
5,404 jobs are based in Gold River, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 35.8% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
2.9% of Gold River residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Gold River has lost 896 jobs, to 5,404 in 2023. The average trip to work in Gold River is 23 minutes.
4%work in town
| Gold River | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $175,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Gold River4%
Sacramento24%
Rancho Cordova9%
Folsom6%
Roseville5%
13 mi
median commute distance
5,404
jobs based in Gold River
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB−
Gold River’s public schools outperform 54% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the San Juan Unified school district. Its one school is below.
54%of CA districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold River Discovery Center K-8Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 712 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HealthA
For health, Gold River earns an A
Against the 1,527 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gold River’s, it is less healthy than 51%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Gold River. Gold River beats the California average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 15% of adults get no exercise outside work in Gold River.
94%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Gold River | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 24% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 11% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
20 better7 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Gold River | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.7% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.4% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 6.4% |
Mercy San Juan Medical Center
4.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
88th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsA
Conserved land covers 10.7% of Gold River
2.1 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is American River Parkway, 349 acres with 2 miles of trail.
#447for trails in CA
10.7%
conserved · 188 of 1,744 acres
2.1 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. American River Parkway | 2 mi | 349 |
| 2. Folsom Lake State Recreation Area | — | 68 |
| 3. Gold River Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Gold River has mild winters and hot summers
July afternoons average 95.2°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.7°.
Gold River has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Gold River’s July high is 95°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
95°summer high
| Gold River | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–58°
Spring48–73°
Summer60–93°
Fall51–78°
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
95°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Gold River faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of California towns, with expected losses of about $463 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Gold River since 1995.
40risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
1
paid flood claims since 1995
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade D
A home in Gold River sells for about $780K at the median
$780Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
21
days on market
99.1%
sale-to-list price
13
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gold River
17pages on Gold River
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
9 within 15 miles of the center of Gold River
Chamberlain University-CaliforniaUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Rancho Cordova2.7 mi$21,271 tuitionAmerican River CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sacramento5.7 mi$1,288 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-SacramentoUniversity or college · Public · Sacramento10.5 mi$8,018 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Gold River residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Gold River
Census-designated place in California, United States
Gold River is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sacramento County, California, United States. The population was 7,844 at the 2020 census, down from 7,912 at the 2010 census. Gold River is part of the Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. With a median family income of $141,399 according to U.S. Census Bureau in 2021, Gold River is the highest-income community in Sacramento County. The community of Gold River consists of a residential planned development and some smaller subdivisions served by the Gold River Discovery Center (a K through 8 school), as well as some retail, commercial and light industrial areas. The community consists of detached single family home…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 121 ft
Gold River’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Gold River.
Fair OaksRancho CordovaGold River
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold River | #61 | A− | D | — | B− | A |
| Fair Oaks | #133 | B | D | — | B− | A− |
| Rancho Cordova | #314 | C+ | D | C− | B+ | B+ |
Gold River and Fair Oaks report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Gold River with a neighbor →
Questions about Gold River
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gold River, CA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Gold River grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #61 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Gold River, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $724,000, 5% 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 D.