Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,011, settled in 1882.
The weak point is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. At about $346K, a typical home costs 5.7 years of the Clearlake area’s $61K median household income. All told, that adds up to a D− overall and a rank of 838th of 841 in California. It comes out behind almost every U.S. town. Incomes are weaker too: the median household income is $46K, and 23% of residents live below the poverty line. Health is weaker too: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES.
Where Kelseyville’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 Kelseyville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,567 in 1980, 3,382 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 5 maps from 1921 on.
Kelseyville is unincorporated, so Lake 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 Kelseyville.
Kelseyville is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of California; it also has poverty well above the California rate.
Expected losses in Kelseyville break down as 45% from inland flooding and 23% from earthquakes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Kelseyville after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2020.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The largest public high school is Kelseyville High, with 515 students. The Kelseyville Unified school district runs its public schools. Of its 7 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelseyville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 543 | C− |
| Kelseyville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 515 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The typical value, about $346K, is 13% below its June 2022 peak. At about $346K, home values are down 6% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
Kelseyville’s midpoint rent stands at $1,132 a month, below the California town median ($1,898 a month) and near the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Kelseyville home is worth about $346,000, about the same as a year ago, 55% below the California typical home. Three in five households own their home in the town.
| Kelseyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,132 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 4,247 U.S. towns with household incomes like Kelseyville’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Kelseyville, 15% have diabetes, where California’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 12%. In Kelseyville, 31% of adults say their health is fair or poor. Two figures for adults in the town: 19% report frequent physical distress, 26% worry about having enough food.
| Kelseyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Kelseyville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20% | 10.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 5.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.5% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Kelseyville’s trail network density is 1.2 miles per square mile. 3.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. One park or preserve covers 3 acres in the town.
| Kelseyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kelseyville County Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here grew from 514 in 2013 to 787.
Kelseyville’s typical journey to work stands at 29 minutes. Most people who work leave Kelseyville to do it: just 9% work in town. It had 787 jobs in 2023, up 273 from 2013. The median commute is under 11 miles.
| Kelseyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Clearlake 4 Se weather station, 15 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 209 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 85% of California places with climate records. January nights average 36.7°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 75% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 91.1°.
In Kelseyville, the January low is 37°F. Snow is a rarity.
| Kelseyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 91°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 37°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Kelseyville; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Kelseyville residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Place in California, United States
Kelseyville is an unincorporated community in Lake County, California, United States, located six miles (9.7 kilometers) southeast of Lakeport, at an elevation of 1,384 feet (422 meters). For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined that community as a census-designated place (CDP). Its population was 3,382 according to the 2020 United States census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Kelseyville grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #838 of 841 in California. It grades D for health and C for schools. Hazard risk 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Les Webber and Lane Tanner.