Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,574, settled in 1880.
The typical home is worth about $1.0 million, 9.6 years of the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income. Overall it grades C, 391st of 841 graded towns in California. The median household earns $153K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 90% of the country. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities, with wildfire at the top. Jamul’s median rent is $3,501 a month, against $1,895 a month in California’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, 2,100 acres with 10.8 miles of trail. Among 847 California towns, just 5 have a higher share of households owning their home than Jamul.
Where Jamul beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Jamul’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 Jamul is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,826 in 1980, 6,179 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 2 maps from 1943 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jamul. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi LandmarkMexico–United States border wall
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
17 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
16 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
16 mi Park & preserveBalboa Park
21 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Diego4.0M visitors a yearMexico–United States border wall: Földhegy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 · Balboa Park: Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0
Jamul is unincorporated, so San Diego 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 Jamul.
Jamul keeps more of its land conserved than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Steele Canyon High District. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Steele Canyon High, with 2,198 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamacha ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 415 | – |
| Steele Canyon HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,198 | A− |
| Greater San Diego AcademyTop results in townGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 209 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,565 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jamul’s, it is less healthy than 50%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
25% of Jamul adults have obesity. Jamul beats the California average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 18% of Jamul adults get no exercise outside work.
| Jamul | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 24% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Jamul | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its 3,623 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 94% of California towns.
22 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Jamul’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Diego National Wildlife Refuge | 10.8 mi | 2,100 |
| 2. Steele Canyon Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 9.6 years of the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income, the typical home (about $1.02M) costs more against local pay than in 75% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $7,743, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Jamul home is worth about $1,023,000, up 2.2% in a year, 34% above the California typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Jamul for work: only 3% work in town. The average trip to work in Jamul is 34 minutes. The top destinations are San Diego (39%), Chula Vista (8%) and El Cajon (7%).
| Jamul | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $153,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 42.4°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 88.3°.
Jamul has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Jamul | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 88°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median household earns $152,748, against $99,122 across California, one input to its A for jobs and income.
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (24% statewide); people 65 and older are 21% of residents (16% statewide). 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Jamul | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.1 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 29% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Jamul | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.4% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.8% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.4% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.6% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 23% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.4% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.7% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
9 within 15 miles of the center of Jamul
About 7 of every 100 Jamul residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Census designated place in California, United States
Jamul (; Kumeyaay: Ha-mul, meaning "sweet water") is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, United States. Jamul had a population of 6,179 at the 2020 census, up from 6,163 at the 2010 census. Jamul suffered from the Valley Fire, one of the 2020 California wildfires.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Jamul.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamul | #391 | C | D− | — | C+ | A |
| Rancho San Diego | #369 | C | D− | — | C+ | A |
Jamul and Rancho San Diego report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Jamul with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jamul grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #391 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
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