Forward (Unsplash), 2017
Laton’s story
126 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,052 in 1960, 1,622 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2017 and 2 maps from 1927 on.
- 1900Laton is settled
LatonCA
A town of 1,453, settled in 1900.
Population
1,453
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$407K
+6.3% in a year
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
33.5
years
Jobs based here
206
A commuter town
Is Laton a good place to live?
Laton’s best subject grade is an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D for schools. Laton’s July high is 98°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. On cost of living, just 14 of California’s 1,058 towns do better. Laton’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile, above both the California town median (1.0) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Fresno County Laton-Kingston Park, at 59 acres. Laton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Laton stand out
Where Laton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 82% of U.S. towns
3.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Typical home value
Laton$407K
California$762K
Cost of livingA−
5.5 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 76% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Laton Joint Unified schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Laton Elementary | K–5 | 274 |
| Laton Middle | 6–8 | 154 |
| Laton High | 9–12 | 163 |
Worth knowing · SchoolsD
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Small town
1,453 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Laton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Laton is from typical.
SchoolsDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 10.3 of 20; 0% of households have no carA−Open →HealthAdventist Health Hanford 10.5 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →Jobs & income$78K median household incomeB+Open →Hazard riskdrought tops the listCOpen →
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.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 33.5; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Laton: who provides what
Laton is unincorporated, so Fresno County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLaton Community Services District1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesFresno CountyFresno County provides services here
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.govWho runs elections hereFresno County Clerk, Registrar of VotersFresno County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code9324293242 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 Laton.
SchoolsD
Public schools in Laton fall behind 93% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Laton Joint Unified school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
7%of CA districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 274 | D |
| Laton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 163 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A−
The typical home in Laton is valued at about $407K
The typical Laton home is worth about $407,000, up 6.3% in a year, 47% below the California typical home. Laton’s median rent is $1,091 a month.
$407KZillow home value
| Laton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,091 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Laton$407K
California$762K
+6.3%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC−
Laton is less healthy than 81% of U.S. towns
Laton beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 20% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Laton.
19%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Laton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 72% | 79% |
32 measures vs. California
1 better16 too close to call15 worse
| What stands out | Laton | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.5% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 19.5% | 10.6% |
Adventist Health Hanford
10.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most of Laton’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Laton for work: only 3% work in town. 4.5% of Laton residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Laton has added 28 jobs, to 206 in 2023.
3%work in town
| Laton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Laton3%
Fresno14%
Hanford6%
Visalia5%
Lemoore3%
18 mi
median commute distance
206
jobs based in Laton
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Laton, expect mild winters and hot summers
Laton has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The January low in Laton is 38°F.
98°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–58°
Spring49–76°
Summer64–96°
Fall51–79°
Dec 1
typical first frost
Feb 7
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
98°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Drought leads a high hazard risk in Laton
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities.
60risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtEarthquakesInland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2%conserved
2%
conserved · 32 of 1,611 acres
4.4 mi
of trails · 1.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fresno County Laton-Kingston Park | 0.5 mi | 59 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Laton
18pages on Laton
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Laton
About 2 of every 100 Laton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A shrinking town
Laton has shrunk 11% from 2010 to 2020
1,824 counted in 2010 and 1,622 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
About Laton
Census-designated place in California, United States
Laton ( LAY-tən) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2020 census, up from 1,824 at the 2010 census. Laton is located 23 miles (37 km) south-southeast of Fresno, at an elevation of 259 feet (79 m).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 259 ft
- ZIP code
- 93242
- Area code
- 559
Questions about Laton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Laton, CA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
What is Laton, CA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Ron Adams and Pinky Jorgensen.