Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The National Register of Historic Places lists 3 places here.
The picture is mixed. Its lowest grade is for hazard risk (D−): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Health is its strong suit: residents are healthier than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Homes run about $516K for a typical one, 4.9 times the Santa Rosa metro’s $105K median household income. Walkability is another plus: it is more walkable than two thirds of U.S. towns. All told, that adds up to a C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns. That places it 419th of 841 in California. On history, just 33 of California’s 1,063 towns do better.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Guerneville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Guerneville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Guerneville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 363 in 1880, 4,552 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1887 and 3 maps from 1947 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Guerneville. Close and well known come first.
14 mi Ancient siteFort Ross
2 mi State parkArmstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve
19 mi National SeashorePoint Reyes National Seashore2.4M visitors a year
39 mi LakeClear Lake
17 mi Ancient siteBodega Bay
14 mi MuseumCharles M. Schulz Museum and Research CenterFort Ross: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve: Cromis, CC BY 3.0 · Point Reyes National Seashore: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Clear Lake: Unknown, Public domain · Bodega Bay: Pixistik1687, Public domain · Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center: BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0
Guerneville is unincorporated, so Sonoma 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Guerneville.
Guerneville is a second-home town, has home values still below their peak and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of California.
The national flood insurance program has paid 86 claims in Guerneville since 1995. 73% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 19%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Guerneville after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2020.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
One of its 3 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guerneville Elementary (Charter)Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 171 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
24.8% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 2.4% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
Among adults 25 and older, 44% have a four-year degree or more, against 37% across California. In Guerneville, the midpoint age is 51.7 years, against 39 years in California’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. For residents here, the share who are 65 or older is 27%.
| Guerneville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 7.6% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 51.7 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.3 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Guerneville | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 2.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.8% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.4% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.6% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.5% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.3% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.8% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.3% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.3% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.3% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points
Among adults in Guerneville, 24% have been diagnosed with depression. 30% of Guerneville adults feel lonely, below both the California town median (36%) and the median of U.S. towns (33%). In Guerneville, 27% of adults have obesity, and 20% get no exercise outside work. This California town does better than the California average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 6.
| Guerneville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 24% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Guerneville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.7% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
27.3% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
For most workers, Guerneville is a place to come home to: only 13% work in town. The town’s average commute stands at 34 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 20 miles. The top destinations are Santa Rosa (13%), San Francisco (6%) and Petaluma (3%).
| Guerneville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $516K, is 18% below its June 2022 peak. At about $516K, home values are down 10% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
Homes sold in Guerneville spent a median 63 days on the market. Home values are down 1.8% over the year to September 2026. In Guerneville, the midpoint rent is $1,579 a month.
| Guerneville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,579 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Graton weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 240 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 78% of California places with climate records.
July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Guerneville’s trail network density comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile. Trails run 2.0 miles in 3 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves here: 3, covering 8 acres.
| Guerneville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Guerneville River Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
| 2. Riverkeeper Stewardship Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
| 3. J. K. Wright Playground and Courts | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Guerneville; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Guerneville residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
3 places in Guerneville on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Guerneville () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, Guerneville had a population of 4,552. The town is historically known as a logging community. It was founded by the Guerne family in the 1850s. In the 21st century, Guerneville is also known for its natural environment, liberal atmosphere, and proximity to wine-tasting and redwood forests.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Guerneville grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #419 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
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.
.jpg){kind=link}
