Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Janesville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
California›Lassen County

JanesvilleCA

A town of 2,399, settled in 1861.

Is Janesville a good place to live?

The best of Janesville’s subject grades is a B+ for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 49 of California’s 1,063 towns score lower on walkability. 26% of the land in Janesville is conserved, where California’s towns sit at 4.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest park or preserve is Bass Hill Wildlife Area, at 1,745 acres. Janesville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

A growing town

Janesville has grown 75% from 2010 to 2020

1,408 counted in 2010 and 2,461 in 2020.

1,4082010
2,4612020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

How Janesville grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Janesville is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Janesville: who provides what

Janesville is unincorporated, so Lassen County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerLassen Municipal Utility DistrictEIAHIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesLassen CountyLassen County provides services here
SchoolsLassen Union High School DistrictJanesville Union Elementary School District2 districts serve Janesville; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereLassen County Clerk, Registrar of VotersLassen County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP code9611496114 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Janesville.

HousingCost of living grade C

A typical Janesville home is worth about $314K

The typical Janesville home is worth about $314,000, up 1.5% in a year, 59% below the California typical home. At $1,374 a month, Janesville’s median rent is below California’s towns ($1,896 a month) but above U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 78% of households own their home in Janesville.

$314KZillow home value
JanesvilleCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Households that own their home78%64%73%
Median rent$1,374 a month$1,896 a month$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Janesville$314K
California$762K
+1.5%
value change, 1 year
4
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

SchoolsC

Public schools in Janesville fall behind 67% of California districts

Its public schools are run by the Janesville Union Elementary school district. Its one school is below.

33%of CA districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Janesville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8Grades K–8313C+

NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−

Very high risk in Janesville, with wildfire at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities.

97risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
97Very high riskLowerHigher
WildfireInland floodingEarthquakes
1
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

OutdoorsB+

Conserved land covers nearly a quarter of Janesville

7.8 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Janesville is 0.2 miles per square mile.

26%conserved
26%
conserved · 5,611 of 21,540 acres
7.8 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Bald Mountain Recreation Area7.7 mi1,479
2. Bass Hill Wildlife Area—1,745

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−

With 0.6 jobs for every working resident, most of Janesville’s workers commute out

Most working residents leave Janesville for work: only 0% work in town. Since 2013, Janesville has added 55 jobs, to 108 in 2023. The top destinations are Susanville (9%), Sacramento (5%) and Red Bluff (3%).

0%work in town
JanesvilleCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line7.5%10%9.6%
Median household income$78,000$95,000$80,000
Average trip to work25 minutes28 minutes25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Janesville0%
Susanville9%
Sacramento5%
Red Bluff3%
Chico3%
153 mi
median commute distance
108
jobs based in Janesville
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Janesville has four seasons and hot summers

Janesville has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Janesville’s July high is 91°F.

91°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter24–45°
Spring34–63°
Summer49–87°
Fall35–68°
Oct 8
typical first frost
May 16
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
91°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HealthB−

Residents of Janesville are less healthy than 51% of U.S. towns

Janesville beats the California average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 19% of Janesville adults report frequent mental distress.

49%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
JanesvilleCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)19%17%17%
Depression (CDC PLACES)25%22%23%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)73%72%79%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)15%14%14%
32 measures vs. California
5 better17 too close to call10 worse
What stands outJanesvilleCA
Fewer uninsured adults6.4%10.6%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity13%17.9%
More adults with COPD7.8%5.1%
Banner Lassen Medical Center
12.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Janesville

17pages on Janesville
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Janesville

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Janesville for work

Where Janesville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

9% → Susanville Susanville 9% 5% → Sacramento Sacramento 5% 3% → Red Bluff Red Bluff 3% 3% → Chico Chico 3% 3% → Medford Medford 3% 2% → Burlingame Burlingame 2% Janesville · 0% stay
108jobs based in Janesville
0%of working residents work in town
153 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Janesville

Census-designated place in California, United States

Janesville (also known as Lassen) is a sparsely populated census-designated place in Lassen County, California, United States. It is located 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Susanville, at an elevation of 4239 feet (1292 m). Janesville is located on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. Its population is 2,461 as of the 2020 census, up from 1,408 from the 2010 census. The community consists of an elementary school, a park, four churches, two gas stations, a pizza parlor, a coffee shop, a veterinary hospital, a hardware store, a post office, a Dollar General and a few other businesses. Janesville stretches over a distance of 8 miles (13 km). Its ZIP Code is 96114. The communit…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
13 sq mi
Elevation
4,239 ft
ZIP code
96114
Area code
530

Questions about Janesville

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Janesville, CA expensive?

That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($67,403 across the Susanville, CA 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.