JohnstonvilleCA
A town of 1,039.
Is Johnstonville a good place to live?
The best of Johnstonville’s subject grades are a B+ for the outdoors and health; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 68 of California’s 1,058 towns score higher on cost of living. 17% of the land in Johnstonville is conserved, against 4.3% in California’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Bass Hill Wildlife Area, at 121 acres. Johnstonville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Johnstonville stand out
Where Johnstonville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,039 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Johnstonville grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Johnstonville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Johnstonville: who provides what
Johnstonville is unincorporated, so Lassen 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Johnstonville.
The biggest natural risk in Johnstonville is inland flooding, at a very high overall level
The natural-hazard score from FEMA for Johnstonville comes to 92 of 100, close to California’s towns (88 of 100) and above U.S. towns (44 of 100). Nearly two thirds of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 19%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
On state tests, Johnstonville’s schools trail 51% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Johnstonville Elementary school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Public school enrollment locally: 217 students across 2 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnstonville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 211 | B |
| Lassen County Special EducationLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 6 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Johnstonville’s grade for the outdoors is a B+
Johnstonville’s trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile. In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 2.0 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bass Hill Wildlife Area | 0.9 mi | 121 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Johnstonville, expect four seasons and hot summers
For Johnstonville, the midsummer high is 90°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Residents of Johnstonville are healthier than two in three U.S. towns
Among adults in Johnstonville, 73% had a checkup this year. This California town does better than the California average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 5.
| Johnstonville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 72% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Johnstonville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.8% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About half of Johnstonville’s working residents commute to Susanville
The top destinations are Susanville (46%), Alturas (4%) and Redding (3%). Just 2% of Johnstonville’s working residents have a job in town. The typical journey to work locally is 18 minutes. This California town had 151 jobs in 2023, down 142 from 2013.
| Johnstonville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median rent in Johnstonville is lower than in most of California or the rest of the country
For households in Johnstonville, the share who own their home is 87%.
| Johnstonville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $968 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Johnstonville
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Johnstonville
About 5 of every 100 Johnstonville residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Questions about Johnstonville
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Johnstonville, CA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $329,000, 57% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.