Hat CreekCA
Settled in 1884, this town now has 57 residents.
Is Hat Creek a good place to live?
34% of residents live below the poverty line in Hat Creek, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 848 in California we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Hat Creek. 75% of the land in Hat Creek is conserved, against 4.3% in California’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Hat Creek has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
57 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Hat Creek: who provides what
Hat Creek is unincorporated, so Shasta 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 Hat Creek.
Conservation land takes up nearly a third of Hat Creek
46 miles of trail. The concentration of trails in Hat Creek is 0.9 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hat Creek has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Hat Creek’s FEMA risk score is 90 of 100. Expected losses in Hat Creek break down as 64% from inland flooding and 17% from earthquakes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hat Creek has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
The top destinations are Fall River Mills (19%), Burney (11%) and Redding (7%). The median commute is under 21 miles. For working residents in Hat Creek, the share who work locally is 2.9%.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Snowy winters and hot summers: that is Hat Creek’s year
The peak summer temperature for Hat Creek comes to 89°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More of Hat Creek’s adults have high blood pressure than in the typical California or U.S. town
17% of Hat Creek adults report frequent physical distress. Of 32 CDC measures, Hat Creek beats the California average on 7 and trails it on 11.
| Hat Creek | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hat Creek | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11% | 14.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lassen Volcanic National Park and 3 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hat Creek. Close and well known come first.
15 mi National ParkLassen Volcanic National Park505K visitors a year
21 mi MountainLassen Peak
18 mi WaterfallBurney Falls
18 mi MuseumLoomis MuseumPhoto credits
Lassen Volcanic National Park: en:User:Mav, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lassen Peak: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Burney Falls: Dvortygirl, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Loomis Museum: DimiTalen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Hat Creek
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Hat Creek; the nearest are
College town 18 of every 100 Hat Creek residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
97% of working residents leave Hat Creek for work
Where Hat Creek’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Hat Creek
Census designated place in California, United States
Hat Creek is a census designated place (CDP) in Shasta County, California, United States. Hat Creek is situated at an elevation of 3,422 feet (1,043 m). Its population is 266 as of the 2020 census, down from 309 from the 2010 census. Hat Creek is located 26 miles (42 km) north of Lassen Park, 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Burney (9 miles (14 km) south of the junction of hwy 89 and 299), and 15 miles (24 km) south of Burney Falls. Its zip code is 96040. Wired telephone numbers are from the Burney central office and follow the pattern 530-335-xxxx. Hat Creek is home to the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, run by SETI Institute. The town's main economies are tourism, fishing, camping, and lodging.…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 50 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,422 ft
- ZIP code
- 96040
Questions about Hat Creek
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hat Creek, CA a good place to live?
Hat Creek has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.