Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
King City grades D− overall, ranked 748th of 841 in California, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $67K, and 23% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it has 13 miles of trail. King City’s trail density is 3.4 miles per square mile, above both California’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4). FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. The biggest park or preserve is Salinas Valley Fair Grounds, at 25 acres.
Where King City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
6% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far King City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 253 in 1890, 13,332 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1991 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in King City, and how to reach them.
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 King City.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Salinas Valley Fair Grounds | 0.5 mi | 25 |
| 2. San Antonio Park | 0.4 mi | 9 |
| 3. City of King Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the King City Union school district. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is King City High, with 1,199 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chalone Peaks MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 854 | – |
| King City HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,199 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
29% of King City adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance, where California’s towns sit at 9% and U.S. towns at 8.1%. 66% of King City adults had a checkup this year. King City beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20.
| King City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | King City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.7% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 17.8% | 20.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 29.3% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1993, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in King City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
About one in 4 of King City’s working residents works in town. King City’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. Jobs based in King City fell to 3,669 in 2023, 274 fewer than in 2013.
| King City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical King City home is worth about $531,000, up 2.4% in a year, 30% below the California typical home. 42% of households own their home in King City.
| King City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,534 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
King City has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in King City is 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within California, it does better than 69% of towns.
| King City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around King City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi State parkHearst Castle
14 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a year
19 mi LandmarkFort Hunter Liggett
30 mi WaterfallMcWay Falls
18 mi MuseumMission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
30 mi State parkJulia Pfeiffer Burns State ParkHearst Castle: No machine-readable author provided. Urban~commonswiki assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Hunter Liggett: Binksternet, Public domain · McWay Falls: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad: The original uploader was Lordkinbote at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park: Wordydave, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of King City; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 King City residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
4 notable people were born in King City.
City in California, United States
King City (variants: Kings City, City of King) is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located on the Salinas River 51 miles (82 km) southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 335 feet (102 m). It lies along U.S. Route 101 in the Salinas Valley of California's Central Coast. King City is a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. The population was 13,332 at the 2020 census, up from 12,874 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
King City grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #748 of 841 in California. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 69% of towns.
Yes. That is 5.5 years of the area's median household income ($97,230 across the Salinas, CA metro area).
4 notable people were born here, including Jeff Andrus and William J. Oswald.
