Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,035, settled in 1852. 4.5 times the nonprofits per person than the typical California town.
Trash & recyclingGrass Valley earns a D, ranked 638th of 841 in California, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $52K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. Its police reported 56 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 88% of U.S. towns. What it does well: it is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. 32% of residents are 65 or older in Grass Valley, against 16% in California’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Grass Valley's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns. On history, just 81 of California’s 1,063 towns do better.
Where Grass Valley beats most towns.
Census counts: 4,719 in 1900, 14,016 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1916 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Grass Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grass Valley, 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 Grass Valley.
Grass Valley carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Alta Sierra and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
14 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The trail density in Grass Valley is 2.3 miles per square mile. Condon Park, at 81 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Grass Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Condon Park | 1.5 mi | 81 |
| 2. Empire Mine State Historic Park | 0.5 mi | 21 |
| 3. Devere Mautino Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Grass Valley Elementary school district. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is John Muir Charter, with 629 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass Valley CharterLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 546 | – |
| John Muir CharterLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 629 | – |
| William & Marian Ghidotti HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 155 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
8,583 jobs are based in Grass Valley, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.9 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
About one in 4 of Grass Valley’s working residents works in town. Grass Valley’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Jobs based in Grass Valley fell to 8,583 in 2023, 741 fewer than in 2013.
| Grass Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 480 to 275 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Grass Valley reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less.
| Grass Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
22.1% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12% across California, which weighs on its D for jobs and income. The median household earns $51,764, against $99,122 across California.
33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Grass Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.6 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
About 82 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.4 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Grass Valley | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.7% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.3% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.7% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.4% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.1% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.2% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.9% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $508K, is 7% below its June 2022 peak.
The typical Grass Valley home is worth about $508,000, up 1% in a year, 33% below the California typical home. 40% of households own their home in Grass Valley.
| Grass Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 40% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,458 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Nevada City weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 218 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 82% of California places with climate records. January nights average 35.6°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 79% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 89.2°.
Grass Valley has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Grass Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 36°F | 41°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of California towns, with expected losses of about $169 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1983, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Grass Valley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,386 U.S. towns with household incomes like Grass Valley’s, it is healthier than 88%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Grass Valley beats the California average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 39% of Grass Valley adults have high blood pressure.
| Grass Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 36% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Grass Valley | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.9% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.8% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Grass Valley; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Grass Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Grass Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Grass Valley on the National Register of Historic Places.
22 notable people were born in Grass Valley.
City in California, United States
Grass Valley is a city in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 14,016. Situated at roughly 2,500 feet (760 m) in elevation in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this northern Gold Country city is 57 miles (92 km) by car from Sacramento and 88 miles (142 km) west of Reno.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Grass Valley grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #638 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 5.7 years of the area's median household income ($89,882 across the Truckee-Grass Valley, 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.
22 notable people were born here, including Joanna Newsom and Christopher Stevens.
