Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of California.
Hayfork earns a D, 550th among California's 841 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $44K, and 44% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 88% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What it does well: its public schools beat 88% of California towns on state tests and graduation. 44% of residents live below the poverty line in Hayfork, above both California’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On hazard risk, just 33 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse.
Where Hayfork beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hayfork Elementary | K–8 | 245 |
| Hayfork High | 9–12 | 96 |
| Valley High | 9–12 | 5 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Hayfork is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,549 in 1990, 2,324 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
Hayfork is unincorporated, so Trinity 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 Hayfork.
Hayfork keeps more of its land conserved than most of California, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
At 2.8 years of the county’s $53K median household income, the typical home (about $146K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. The typical value, about $146K, is 43% below its May 2022 peak.
The median rent in Hayfork is $840 a month. Typical home values fell 13% in the year to September 2026. 60% of Hayfork households own their home.
| Hayfork | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $840 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Mountain Valley Unified school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayfork ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 245 | B+ |
| Hayfork HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 96 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Hayfork’s FEMA risk score is 100 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its 18,449 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 96% of California towns.
64 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hayfork Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 3,807 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hayfork’s, it is less healthy than 58%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Hayfork. Hayfork beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Hayfork.
| Hayfork | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Hayfork | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 74.7% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.3% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
44.3% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12% across California, which weighs on its D− for jobs and income. The median household earns $44,434, against $99,122 across California.
People 65 and older are 32% of residents (16% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (24% statewide). 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Hayfork | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 60.3 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 29% | 29% |
Somewhere between 51% and 78% women
The Census survey reached too few of Hayfork’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±13.9 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Hayfork | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.2% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.1% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.4% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.6% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 2.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 29.4% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.8% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.2% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 47.3% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 9.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 1% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.5% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,500, single groups can be off by several points
January nights average 32.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 87% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 93°.
Hayfork has mild winters and hot summers. About 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Hayfork | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 93°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Hayfork’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Hayfork grew to 282 in 2023, 40 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Weaverville (8%), Redding (3%) and Salyer (3%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Hayfork; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Hayfork residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Hayfork is a census-designated place (CDP) in Trinity County, California, United States. Its population is 2,324 as of the 2020 census, down from 2,368 from the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hayfork grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #550 of 841 in California. It grades D for health and A for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.