Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,267, settled in 1906.
Hamilton City’s weakest subject grade is a C− for hazard risk. Hamilton City’s midsummer high is 96°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Only 46 of California’s 1,058 towns score higher on cost of living. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. Gianella Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hamilton City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,759 counted in 2010 and 2,263 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Hamilton City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,337 in 1980, 2,263 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 4 maps from 1914 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hamilton City is unincorporated, so Glenn 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 Hamilton City.
The typical home value in Hamilton City is about $288,000, up 0.9% in a year, 62% below the California typical home. 61% of households are owner-occupiers locally.
| Hamilton City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $903 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Public schools: the Hamilton Unified school district. Its two schools are below. Enrollment at Hamilton City’s public school: 393 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 393 | D |
| Hamilton Community DayLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | – | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Most people who work leave Hamilton City to do it: just 2% work in town. Hamilton City’s typical household income stands at $66,000. Employers in Hamilton City shed 79 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 123. Half the trips to work are shorter than 26 miles.
| Hamilton City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected losses in Hamilton City break down as 60% from drought and 21% from earthquakes. Hamilton City’s FEMA risk score comes in at 75 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Hamilton City, the January low is 39°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
CDC measures, 32 in all: Hamilton City beats California on 1 and trails on 10. In Hamilton City, just over a quarter of adults worry about having enough food, and 28% say their health is fair or poor. Hamilton City: 20% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance, against 9% in California’s towns and 8.1% across U.S. towns. Among adults here, 69% had a checkup this year.
| Hamilton City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 72% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hamilton City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 19.9% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hamilton City Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hamilton City. Close and well known come first.
31 mi DamOroville Dam
37 mi MountainSutter Buttes
13 mi Park & preserveBidwell Park
9 mi MuseumChico Air Museum
9 mi MuseumMuseum of Northern California ArtOroville Dam: California Department of Water Resources, Public domain · Sutter Buttes: Expedition 32 crew/NASA, Public domain · Bidwell Park: Saopaulo1 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chico Air Museum: Bsudicky, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Museum of Northern California Art: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Hamilton City
About 7 of every 100 Hamilton City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Hamilton City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in California, United States
Hamilton City (formerly, Hamilton) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Glenn County, California, United States. The population was 2,263 at the 2020 census, up from 1,759 at the 2010 census. Hamilton City is located 9.5 miles (15 km) east of Orland, and 10 miles west of Chico at an elevation of 151 feet (46 m). The community is inside area code 530. The default prefix used for wired telephones in the Hamilton City area is 826. The postal ZIP Code is 95951.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
