Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of U.S. communities, with wildfire at the top. Overall it grades C−, ranked 488th of 841 in California. It is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. Jamestown’s peak summer temperature is 94°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Jamestown has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Emporium and Sierra Railway Shops Historic District.
Where Jamestown beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
EmporiumWhere Jamestown’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 Jamestown is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 2%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,206 in 1980, 3,478 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1995 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Jamestown is unincorporated, so Tuolumne County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Jamestown.
Jamestown has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room and has household incomes well below the California norm.
One declared disaster, in 2023, has brought federal aid to Jamestown households. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 46% come from wildfires and 44% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its one school is below. Public schools: the Jamestown Elementary school district. The town’s only public school teaches 409 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamestown ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 409 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
For households in Jamestown, the share who live in a home they own is 61%. Zillow values the typical Jamestown home at about $397,000, down 0.9% in a year, 48% below the California typical home.
| Jamestown | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $944 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
The average commute for its 1,580 working residents takes 20.4 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
The median household income in Jamestown is $57,000. Most working residents leave Jamestown for work: only 3% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs locally rose by 75, to 532. The share of residents in Jamestown who live below the poverty line: 6.1%.
| Jamestown | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 94°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35°. The Sonora weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 213 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 82% of California places with climate records.
Snowfall is close to zero. For Jamestown, the January low is 35°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The nearest emergency room, Oak Valley Hospital District, is 28.1 miles away in a straight line. Against the 8,107 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jamestown’s, it is healthier than 70%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
39% of adults have high blood pressure in Jamestown. This California town beats the California average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. In Jamestown, 17% of adults report frequent physical distress, and 32% feel lonely.
| Jamestown | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Jamestown | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.3% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest park or preserve is Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, at 22 acres. There are 0.4 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. The trail network density for Jamestown comes to 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Jamestown | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park | 0.2 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Jamestown
About 4 of every 100 Jamestown residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
3 places in Jamestown on the National Register of Historic Places.
Place in California, United States
Jamestown is an unincorporated community in Tuolumne County, California, United States. Formerly a California Gold Rush town, Jamestown was designated a California Historical Landmark on March 16, 1949. It is the home of Railtown 1897 State Historic Park and the Sierra Railway, which operates steam passenger trains. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined the community as a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 3,478 at the 2020 census, up from 3,433 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Jamestown.
Jamestown reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Jamestown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jamestown grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #488 of 841 in California. It grades C+ for health and C+ 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.
