Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Overall it grades C, 365th among California's 841 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. Hollister’s average trip to work is 37 minutes, against 28 minutes in California’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Hollister has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hollister Carnegie Library and Downtown Hollister Historic District.
Where Hollister beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Hollister Carnegie Library34,928 counted in 2010 and 41,678 in 2020; an estimated 45,695 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.7% since 2020, after 19.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Hollister is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,034 in 1880, 41,678 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 5 maps from 1921 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hollister, and how to reach them.
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 Hollister.
Hollister has home values still below their peak, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Since 1995, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hollister.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Hollister school district. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollister Dual Language AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 858 | – |
| Hollister HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,316 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 15,912 working residents takes 36.6 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
About one in 4 of Hollister’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Hollister has added 1,639 jobs, to 9,708 in 2023. The median household income in Hollister is $112,000.
| Hollister | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $112,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.9% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hollister has mild winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Hollister’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.7 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Brigantino Park, at 39 acres.
| Hollister | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brigantino Park | — | 39 |
| 2. Veterans Memorial Park | — | 33 |
| 3. Vista Hill Park | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 6,884 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hollister’s, it is less healthy than 77%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Hollister beats the California average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 68% of Hollister adults had a checkup this year.
| Hollister | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 72% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 9% | 8.1% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Hollister | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.8% | 5.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 15.3% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 520 to 359 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 77% of towns.
| Hollister | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical value, about $757K, is 10% below its May 2022 peak.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hollister. Close and well known come first.
22 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a year
32 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
33 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of Art
8 mi MuseumMission San Juan Bautista
35 mi Theme parkSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk
37 mi Scenic drive17-Mile DrivePinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mission San Juan Bautista: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0 · Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Josta Photo, CC BY 2.0 · 17-Mile Drive: Humanoid one, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hollister
About 5 of every 100 Hollister residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
5 places in Hollister on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Hollister.
City in California, United States
Hollister is a city in and the county seat of San Benito County located in the Central Coast region of California, United States. With a 2020 United States census population of 41,678, Hollister is one of the most populous cities in the Monterey Bay Area and a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. The city is an agricultural town known primarily for its local Blenheim apricots, olive oil, vineyards, pomegranates, and chocolate.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hollister.
Ridgemark reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Hollister with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hollister grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #365 of 841 in California. It grades B for health, B− for safety and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 77% of towns.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($162,111 across the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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 C.
12 notable people were born here, including Donald Blessing and Wes Hart.
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