Rock formation, 2011
Hidden Meadows’s story
Hidden Meadows in pictures
Census counts: 2,371 in 1990, 4,484 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
Explore the history →Hidden MeadowsCA
A town of 3,524.
Population
3,524
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$851K
Census ACS
Household income
$123K
median
Median age
61.2
years
Jobs based here
227
A commuter town
TownGrade
D
#556 of 841 in CA
Is Hidden Meadows a good place to live?
Hidden Meadows grades D overall, 556th of 841 graded towns in California. In its favor, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 79% of the country. Hidden Meadows’ rent at the middle of the market is $2,736 a month, where California’s towns sit at $1,895 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Only 71 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on hazard risk. Homes are expensive, about $851K for a typical one and 8 times the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income.
What makes Hidden Meadows stand out
Where Hidden Meadows beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A growing town
Hidden Meadows has grown 29% from 2010 to 2020
3,485 counted in 2010 and 4,484 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Hidden Meadows grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Hidden Meadows is from typical.
Hazard riskwildfire tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingD−Open →HealthKaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos 7.1 miles awayA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.7 of 20; 2.4% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsBehind 64% of California districts on tests and graduationC+Open →Jobs & income$123K median household incomeBOpen →
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.
ClimateMild winters, 89° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 61.2; 52% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 117 attractions →Snapdragon Stadium and 67 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hidden Meadows. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
36 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
34 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
13 mi Theme parkLegoland California
11 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo Safari Park
32 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Diego4.0M visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Snapdragon Stadium: Terrible Tim, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Petco Park: Mds08011, CC BY 4.0 · San Diego Zoo: en:User:Cburnett, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Legoland California: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdigger/, CC BY 2.0 · San Diego Zoo Safari Park: Flickr user: Olivier Bruchez https://www.flickr.com/photos/bruchez/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Hidden Meadows: who provides what
Hidden Meadows is unincorporated, so San Diego County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSDG&E45.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterValley Center Mwd water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSan Diego CountySan Diego County provides services here
SchoolsEscondido Union High School DistrictEscondido Union Elementary School DistrictValley Center-Pauma Unified School District3 districts serve Hidden Meadows; 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 hereSan Diego Registrar of VotersSan Diego County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code9202692026 100%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 Hidden Meadows.
Hidden Meadows has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, sends most of its workers to San Diego and beyond and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Hidden Meadows has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from wildfire
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 99% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Hidden Meadows, 78% come from wildfires and 17% from inland flooding.
99risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
WildfireInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA−
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, more of Hidden Meadows’ adults had a checkup this year
Against the 5,289 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hidden Meadows’s, it is less healthy than 52%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
The share of adults in Hidden Meadows who have obesity: 24%. The town does better than the California average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 7. In Hidden Meadows, 14% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 30% sleep under 7 hours.
79%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Hidden Meadows | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 16% |
32 measures vs. California
18 better7 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Hidden Meadows | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13% | 6.4% |
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos
7.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
68th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Hidden Meadows sends most of its workers out of town
Hidden Meadows has 227 jobs for its 2,179 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 321 in 2013 to 227.
For working residents in Hidden Meadows, the share who work locally is 2.1%. Employers in Hidden Meadows shed 94 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 227. The mean commuting time in the town is 33 minutes. The median commute is under 19 miles.
2%work in town
| Hidden Meadows | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $123,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Hidden Meadows2%
San Diego28%
Escondido12%
Carlsbad6%
San Marcos6%
19 mi
median commute distance
227
jobs based in Hidden Meadows
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Hidden Meadows: mild winters and hot summers
January nights average 43.9°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 87.4°.
Snow is a rarity. In Hidden Meadows, the January low is 44°F.
89°summer high
| Hidden Meadows | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 87°F | 89°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter44–66°
Spring49–72°
Summer61–86°
Fall55–80°
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
89°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC
10.7% of Hidden Meadows is conserved land
2.3 miles of trail. Hidden Meadows’ concentration of trails comes in at 0.4 miles per square mile.
#595for trails in CA
10.7%
conserved · 451 of 4,200 acres
2.3 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade D−
A larger share of households in Hidden Meadows live in a home they own than in the typical California or U.S. town
The median property tax bill is $7,702, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
$915Kmedian sale price
3
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hidden Meadows
17pages on Hidden Meadows
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Hidden Meadows
University of St. Augustine for Health SciencesUniversity or college · Private for-profit · San Marcos5.6 miPalomar CollegeCommunity college · Public · San Marcos6.3 mi$1,354 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-San MarcosUniversity or college · Public · San Marcos6.8 mi$8,082 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Hidden Meadows residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Hidden Meadows for work
Where Hidden Meadows’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
227jobs based in Hidden Meadows
2%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Hidden Meadows
Census designated place in California, United States
Hidden Meadows is a census-designated place (CDP) near Escondido in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,484 at the 2020 census, up from 3,485 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,496 ft
- Area code
- 760
Questions about Hidden Meadows
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hidden Meadows, CA a good place to live?
Hidden Meadows grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #556 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Hidden Meadows, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $851,000, 12% above the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.