Golden HillsCA
A town of 9,891.
Is Golden Hills a good place to live?
Golden Hills grades D overall, ranked 688th of 841 in California, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $96K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is healthier than 60% of U.S. towns. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with wildfire at the top. Golden Hills has 1 place on the National Register. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 78% of U.S. towns.
Golden Hills has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020
8,656 counted in 2010 and 9,578 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Golden Hills grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Golden Hills is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Golden Hills: who provides what
Golden Hills is unincorporated, so Kern 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 Golden Hills.
Golden Hills sends most of its workers to Tehachapi and beyond, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of California.
Very high risk in Golden Hills, with wildfire at the top
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Golden Hills since 1998.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Golden Hills’ schools rank behind 52% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Tehachapi Unified school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Hills ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 663 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Conserved land covers 2.4% of Golden Hills
In the comparison, Golden Hills comes close to California’s towns (1.0) and above U.S. towns (0.4). 10 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Meadowbrook Park, at 36 acres.
| Golden Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meadowbrook Park | — | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents commute out of Golden Hills
Golden Hills has 859 jobs for its 3,214 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 2,140 in 2013 to 859.
Most working residents leave Golden Hills for work: only 7% work in town. Golden Hills’ average trip to work is 33 minutes, above both the California town median (28 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Since 2013, Golden Hills has lost 1,281 jobs, to 859 in 2023.
| Golden Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 11% | 14% | 11% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A typical January night in Golden Hills is 33°F, against 41°F in California’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns
January nights average 32.6°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 86% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 89.8°.
The July high in Golden Hills is 90°F. Golden Hills has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain.
| Golden Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 33°F | 41°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 89°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer middle-aged adults than California overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (39% statewide); people 65 and older are 21% of residents (16% statewide). 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Golden Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.3 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Golden Hills | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.7% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.3% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.2% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.2% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.7% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.9% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.4% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Golden Hills earns a B for health
Against the 9,208 U.S. towns with household incomes like Golden Hills’s, it is less healthy than 55%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
74% of Golden Hills adults had a checkup this year. Golden Hills beats the California average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 19% of Golden Hills adults report frequent mental distress.
| Golden Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Golden Hills | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.6% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.7% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes in Golden Hills sell for about $465K
82% of households own their home in Golden Hills.
| Golden Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,377 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Golden Hills
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Golden Hills; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Golden Hills residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
93% of working residents leave Golden Hills for work
Where Golden Hills’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Golden Hills
Census-designated place in California, United States
Golden Hills is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Tehachapi Mountains, in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 9,578 at the 2020 census, up from 8,656 at the 2010 census. Golden Hills adjoins the city of Tehachapi on the west.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 12 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,917 ft
- Area code
- 661
Golden Hills’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Golden Hills.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Hills | #688 | D | D | — | B− | B |
| Tehachapi | #782 | D− | D | C− | B− | C+ |
Golden Hills reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Golden Hills with a neighbor →
Questions about Golden Hills
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Golden Hills, CA a good place to live?
Golden Hills grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #688 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Golden Hills, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $410,000, 46% 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.