Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lincoln grades B+ overall, 85th among California's 841 graded towns. Residents are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $112K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $640K, 6.6 years of the Sacramento metro’s $97K median household income. Lincoln’s July high is 96°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Only 45 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk. Lincoln has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Woman's Club of Lincoln and Lincoln Public Library.
Where Lincoln beats most towns.
42,819 counted in 2010 and 49,757 in 2020; an estimated 57,367 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 15.3% since 2020, after 16.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Lincoln is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 275 in 1880, 49,757 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 6 maps from 1910 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lincoln, 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 Lincoln.
Lincoln carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), fares better on crime within California than nationally and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Against the 6,860 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lincoln’s, it is healthier than 59%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
31% of Lincoln adults sleep under 7 hours. Lincoln beats the California average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 15% of Lincoln adults report frequent mental distress.
| Lincoln | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lincoln | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.2% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.6% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.2% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Western Placer Unified school district. Three of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twelve Bridges MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 931 | A− |
| Horizon CharterLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,757 | B |
| Twelve Bridges ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 744 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
At 10 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 96% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 450 to 319 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Lincoln is 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Lincoln | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here grew from 4,391 in 2013 to 8,632.
Most working residents leave Lincoln for work: only 9% work in town. 23% of workers work from home in Lincoln. Jobs based in Lincoln grew to 8,632 in 2023, 4,241 more than in 2013.
| Lincoln | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $112,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
21 miles of trail in 29 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Coyote Pond Park, at 184 acres.
| Lincoln | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.4% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coyote Pond Park | 0.1 mi | 184 |
| 2. Auburn Ravine Nature Preserve | — | 62 |
| 3. Foskett Regional Park | — | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
People 65 and older are 27% of residents (16% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (24% statewide). Lincoln has grown 15% since 2020, to 57,367 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Lincoln’s median age is 43.2 years.
| Lincoln | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.2 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 22% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 65 to 74, 64% are women (CA 53%). Median age: women 44.8, men 41.7.
| Lincoln | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.5% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.1% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.9% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.2% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.9% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.4% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.5% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
July afternoons average 96.2°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.3°.
Lincoln has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $640K, is 8% below its June 2022 peak.
The typical Lincoln home is worth about $640,000, up 1% in a year, 16% below the California typical home.
| Lincoln | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,090 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 64% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of California towns, with expected losses of about $219 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1986, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lincoln.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lincoln. Close and well known come first.
20 mi Stadium & arenaARCO Arena
23 mi State parkSutter's Fort
37 mi MountainSutter Buttes
23 mi Stadium & arenaHornet Stadium
23 mi State parkGovernor's Mansion State Historic Park
23 mi MuseumCalifornia State Railroad Museum500K visitors a yearARCO Arena: CLopez63, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sutter's Fort: Ian Howard, CC BY 2.5 · Sutter Buttes: Expedition 32 crew/NASA, Public domain · Hornet Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Governor's Mansion State Historic Park: Mark James Miller, CC BY 3.0 · California State Railroad Museum: The original uploader was Swampyank at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Lincoln
About 5 of every 100 Lincoln residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Lincoln’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Lincoln on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Lincoln.
City in California, United States
Lincoln is a city in Placer County, California, United States, part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. Located 10 miles (16 km) north of Roseville in an area of rapid suburban development, it grew 282 percent between 2000 and 2010, making it the fastest-growing city over 10,000 people in the U.S. Its population was 49,757 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is part of the Sacramento-Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Lincoln.
Sheridan has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Sheridan reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lincoln with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lincoln grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #85 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health, A− for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living 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−.
4 notable people were born here, including Fred Clark and Evan Call.
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