Is Lake California a good place to live?
More weak spots than strong ones. Its lowest grade is for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $353K, 5.5 years of the Red Bluff area’s $64K median household income. It also trails on hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Where it does best is health: residents are healthier than 74% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Put together, the subjects come to a D overall, ranking 562nd of 841 in California State. On that grade it does better than 14% of U.S. towns. Walkability is weaker too. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 95% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index.
How Lake California grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California State), ordered by how far Lake California is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Lake California stand out
Where Lake California beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Lake California has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020
3,054 counted in 2010 and 3,377 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lake California.
Lake California has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Redding and beyond, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Top of a very high hazard risk in Lake California: inland flooding
47% of Lake California’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 39%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
About one in three of Lake California’s working residents commute to Redding
Lake California has 79 jobs for its 1,412 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Half commute less than 18 miles. Jobs based in Lake California grew to 79 in 2023, 38 more than in 2013. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 1% of working residents work locally. Also worth knowing: in Lake California, the average commute is 28 minutes, near the California State town median (28 minutes) and above the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes).
| Lake California | California State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For health, Lake California earns a B+
Nearly three quarters of adults had a checkup this year in Lake California, where California State’s towns sit at 72% and U.S. towns at 79%. In Lake California, a fifth of adults get no exercise outside work. Against the California State average, Lake California comes out ahead on 8 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 5.
| Lake California | California State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 24% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Lake California | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.7% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Lake California, 0.3% of the land is conserved
4.0 miles of trail. For Lake California, the density of trails is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Lake California | California State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Lake California’s year
July afternoons average 98.1°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.8°.
The January low in Lake California is 39°F. Snow almost never falls.
| Lake California | California State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 98°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ages in Lake California track California State closely
Lake California: 20% of residents are 65 or older. No broad age group is more than 4 points off the California State average. The midpoint age for Lake California comes to 42.4 years. A bachelor’s degree or higher: 38% of adults 25 and older, vs 37% across California State.
| Lake California | California State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.4 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 16% | 18% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
45% women, 55% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.1 points. Across California State, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 82% are men (CA 51%).
| Lake California | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.3% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.7% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.9% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.1% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.9% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 34.4% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,800, single groups can be off by several points
Homes in Lake California sell for about $333K
79.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 55.3% across California State.
Lake California’s midpoint rent is $1,606 a month. The share of households in Lake California who live in a home they own: 82%. A home in Lake California typically sold within 53 days of listing.
| Lake California | California State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,606 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Lake California
Lassen Volcanic National Park and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake California. Close and well known come first.
31 mi National ParkLassen Volcanic National Park505K visitors a year
38 mi MountainLassen Peak
18 mi MuseumTurtle Bay Exploration Park
21 mi National Recreation AreaWhiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area764K visitors a year
18 mi TheatreCascade Theatre
19 mi GardenMcConnell Arboretum & Botanical GardensPhoto credits
Lassen Volcanic National Park: en:User:Mav, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lassen Peak: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Turtle Bay Exploration Park: DimiTalen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area: RoyalMayfair, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cascade Theatre: Publichall, CC BY-SA 3.0 · McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens: Daderot, CC0
Moving to Lake California: who provides what
Lake California is unincorporated, so Tehama 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.
99% of working residents leave Lake California for work
Where Lake California’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lake California; the nearest are
About 10 of every 100 Lake California residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California State.
About Lake California
Census-designated place in California, United States
Lake California is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tehama County, California, United States. Lake California sits at an elevation of 597 feet (182 m). The 2020 United States census reported Lake California's population was 3,377.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 597 ft
Questions about Lake California
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake California, CA a good place to live?
Lake California grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #562 of 841 in California State. It grades B+ for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Lake California, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $353,000, 54% below the California State 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 D−.
Say something about Lake California.
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