Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,636, settled in 1896.
Le Grand’s best subject grade is an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D for health. Le Grand’s average trip to work is 41 minutes, above both the California town median (28 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 61 of California’s 1,058 towns score higher on cost of living. The median household income is $46K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. On the outdoors, just 56 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. Le Grand has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Le Grand beats most towns.
Where Le Grand’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 Le Grand is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,205 in 1990, 1,592 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1918 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
Le Grand is unincorporated, so Merced 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 Le Grand.
Le Grand’s median rent is $866 a month, against $1,896 a month in California’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. The typical Le Grand home is worth about $336,000, up 1.9% in a year, 56% below the California typical home. 62% of Le Grand households own their home.
| Le Grand | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $866 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Le Grand Union High school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Le Grand High, with 484 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Grand ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 344 | – |
| Le Grand HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 484 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Le Grand beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 37% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Le Grand.
| Le Grand | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Le Grand | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 24.1% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Le Grand for work: only 7% work in town. The top destinations are Merced (19%), Chowchilla (3%) and Modesto (3%). Half commute less than 22 miles.
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Le Grand has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Le Grand’s July high is 96°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Le Grand School | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Le Grand
About 10 of every 100 Le Grand residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Le Grand (also Legrand) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Merced County, California, United States. Le Grand is 14 miles (23 km) east-southeast of Merced, the county seat at an elevation of 253 feet (77 m). The population was 1,592 at the 2020 census, down from 1,659 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.