Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3.8 times the nonprofits per person than the typical California town.
Jackson is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 456th of 841 graded towns in California, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 69% of U.S. towns. Expect to pay for it: the typical home is worth about $431K, 4.9 years of the county’s $88K median household income. Jackson is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. On history, just 9 of California’s 1,063 towns do better. Jackson's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Where Jackson beats most towns.
Amador County Hospital Building
Its founding year, 1848, comes before those of 96% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,040 in 1880, 5,019 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1922 and 3 maps from 1941 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Jackson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jackson, 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 Jackson.
Jackson is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Sacramento and other neighbors.
Two of its 5 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by the Amador County Unified school district. The largest public high school is Argonaut High, with 593 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 479 | B− |
| Argonaut HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 593 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The typical value, about $431K, is 7% below its July 2022 peak.
In Jackson, the median rent is $1,429 a month, where California’s towns sit at $1,898 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Zillow values the typical Jackson home at about $431,000, down 0.8% in a year, 43% below the California typical home. For households in the town, the share who own their home is 61%.
| Jackson | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,429 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected losses in Jackson break down as 40% from inland flooding and 33% from avalanches. In Jackson, the risk rating from FEMA is 81 of 100, below California’s towns (88 of 100) but above U.S. towns (44 of 100). Federal aid has come to Jackson households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For Jackson, the violent offense rate is 4.3 per 1,000 residents. Within California, it does better than 46% of towns.
| Jackson | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,528 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jackson’s, it is healthier than 85%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
In Jackson, just over one in ten adults smoke cigarettes. The town does better than the California average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 6. 28% of adults in the town have obesity; 75% had a checkup this year.
| Jackson | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Jackson | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.1% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.4% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.6% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 94.1°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 37.6°.
The typical July afternoon high in Jackson is 94°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Jackson | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 38°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jackson has about as many jobs (2,858) as working residents, but only 292 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 20.2 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Among working residents in Jackson, 11% work locally. Jobs in the town fell by 326 from 2013 to 2023, to 2,858. The average commute for Jackson comes to 20 minutes. The top destinations are Sacramento (5%), Martell (3%) and Sutter Creek (3%).
| Jackson | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kennedy Tailing Wheels Park | — | 7 |
| 2. Detert Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Gold Ridge Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Jackson; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Jackson residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
9 places in Jackson on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in California, United States
Jackson (formerly Botilleas, Botilleas Spring, Bottileas, Bottle Spring, and Botellas) is a city in and the county seat of Amador County, California, United States. Its population was 5,019 at the 2020 census, up from 4,651 at the 2010 census. The city is accessible by both State Route 49 and State Route 88.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Jackson.
Martell isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jackson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jackson grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #456 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health, C for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within California, it does better than 46% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
