Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,591, founded in 1903.
Holtville grades C overall, 376th among California's 841 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Holtville’s midsummer high is 108°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. On safety, just 28 of California’s 426 towns do better. The median household income is $65K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line.
Where Holtville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Holtville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Holtville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 729 in 1910, 5,605 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 3 maps from 1940 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Holtville, 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 Holtville.
Holtville fares better on crime within California than nationally, has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has commutes shorter than most of California.
The median property tax bill is $1,410, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Homes in Holtville are typically worth about $357,000, up 4.5% in a year, 53% below the California typical home. The share of households in Holtville who live in a home they own: 50%.
| Holtville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $861 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 50% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The largest public high school is Holtville High, with 516 students. Public schools: the Holtville Unified school district. Two of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmett S. Finley ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 559 | – |
| Holtville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 516 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Households in Holtville have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. 60% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 38%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among adults in Holtville, 29% worry about having enough food. For adults locally, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 33%.
| Holtville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Holtville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 21.1% | 10.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.2% | 17.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.7% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 2,348 working residents takes 18.4 minutes, against 28.7 across California. Jobs based here grew from 865 in 2013 to 1,129.
In Holtville, 16% of working residents work locally. Since 2013, Holtville has added 264 jobs, to 1,129 in 2023. For Holtville, the mean commuting time is 18 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 12 miles.
| Holtville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 11.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 94% of California’s graded towns.
Holtville reports less crime per resident than 71% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. In Holtville, the violent crime rate is 2 per 1,000 residents.
| Holtville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 43.8°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 108.1°.
Snow is a rarity. The January low in the town is 44°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
There are 0.9 miles of trail across 5 parks and preserves. Holtville’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.8 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 5, covering 26 acres.
| Holtville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Van Der Linden Field | — | 11 |
| 2. Earl WaLakeer County Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
| 3. Mack Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Holtville
About 9 of every 100 Holtville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
4 notable people were born in Holtville.
City in California, United States
Holtville (formerly Holton) is a city in Imperial County, California. Holtville is located 10.5 miles (17 km) east of El Centro. The population was 5,605 at the 2020 census, down from 5,939 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Holtville grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #376 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk 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.
4 notable people were born here, including Daniel Everett and George Brown.
