![Nuclear power plant in northern California [Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station]](https://images.townratings.com/story/37376/ce1223b84f47eb8aa86c-l.jpg)
Nuclear power plant in northern California [Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station], 2012
Herald’s story
113 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2012.
- 1913Herald is settled
HeraldCA
A town of 1,521, settled in 1913.
Population
1,521
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$796K
+3.5% in a year
Household income
$93K
median
Median age
50.8
years
Jobs based here
330
A commuter town
Is Herald a good place to live?
The best of Herald’s subject grades is an A− for incomes; the weakest is a D for cost of living. On history, just 24 of California’s 1,063 towns do worse. Herald has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Herald for work
Where Herald’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
330jobs based in Herald
3%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Herald grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Herald is from typical.
Cost of livingDOpen →Jobs & income$93K median household incomeA−Open →Hazard riskdrought tops the listC−Open →SchoolsBOpen →HealthAdventist Health Lodi Memorial 12.7 miles awayBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5 of 20; 21.4% of households have no car; 5.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 50.8; 19% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Herald: who provides what
Herald is unincorporated, so Sacramento County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSacramento Municipal Util Dist18.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Galt water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSacramento CountySacramento County provides services here
SchoolsGalt Joint Union High School DistrictArcohe Union Elementary School District2 districts serve Herald; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereCounty of Sacramento Voter Registration and ElectionsSacramento County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP codes95638, 9563295638 67% · 95632 33%Census 2020
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 Herald.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Most of Herald’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.7 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Sacramento (16%), Elk Grove (8%) and Galt (8%). Just 3% of Herald’s working residents have a job in town. This California town had 330 jobs in 2023, up 176 from 2013. The share of residents in Herald who live below the poverty line: 3.8%.
3%work in town
| Herald | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $93,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Herald3%
Sacramento16%
Elk Grove8%
Galt8%
Stockton5%
23 mi
median commute distance
330
jobs based in Herald
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB
Herald’s schools rank ahead of 58% of California districts
The public schools here belong to the Arcohe Union Elementary school district. Its one school is below. 560 students attend Herald’s public school.
58%of CA districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcohe ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 560 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Climate
The climate in Herald brings mild winters and hot summers
Its July high is 94°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
94°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–58°
Spring48–74°
Summer59–92°
Fall50–78°
Dec 5
typical first frost
Feb 9
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
94°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
The biggest natural risk in Herald is drought, at a high overall level
FEMA puts 42% of Herald’s expected hazard losses down to drought, and 39% to inland flooding. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. One declared disaster, in 2022, has brought federal aid to Herald households.
66risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingWildfire
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB
Herald is healthier than 56% of U.S. towns
Herald: nearly a quarter of adults have been diagnosed with depression, above both the California town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (23%). In Herald, 71% of adults had a checkup this year.
57%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Herald | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
32 measures vs. California
4 better22 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Herald | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.3% | 10.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.5% | 5.1% |
Adventist Health Lodi Memorial
12.7 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade D
Zillow puts the typical Herald home at about $796K
Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 3.5% in value. For households in Herald, the share who live in a home they own is 83%.
$796KZillow home value
Typical home value
Herald$796K
California$762K
+3.5%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.6%conserved
0.6%
conserved · 32 of 5,038 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Herald Community Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Herald
17pages on Herald
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Herald; the nearest are
Cosumnes River CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sacramento15.6 mi$1,288 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-SacramentoUniversity or college · Public · Sacramento21.7 mi$8,018 in-state tuition
About 7 of every 100 Herald residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
About Herald
Census-designated place in California, United States
Herald is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. Herald sits at an elevation of 79 feet (24 m). It is located east of the city of Galt along State Route 104. The ZIP Code is 95638, and the community is served by area code 209. The 2020 United States census reported that Herald's population was 1,160. The now-decommissioned 918MW Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station was built in Herald; its site is now the location of the 1000MW gas-fired Cosumnes Power Plant and an 11 MW solar installation. The nuclear plant's disused cooling towers remain standing, and are the largest buildings in California's Central Valley. Nearby Rancho Seco Recreational Park featur…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 79 ft
- ZIP code
- 95638
Questions about Herald
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Herald, CA expensive?
Yes. That is 8.2 years of the area's median household income ($97,188 across the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro 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.