Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,163, settled in 1877.
Los Alamos’ best subject grades are an A for walkability and an A− for health; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Los Alamos’ typical rent is $2,882 a month, above both California’s towns ($1,896 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Only 18 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on hazard risk. Homes are expensive, about $887K for a typical one and 9 times the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income. Los Alamos has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Los Alamos beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Los Alamos | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.9% | 17.9% |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Los Alamos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,372 in 2000, 1,839 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1980 and 2 maps from 1948 on.
Los Alamos is unincorporated, so Santa Barbara 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 Los Alamos.
Expected losses in Los Alamos break down as 33% from drought and 31% from landslides. Federal aid has come to Los Alamos households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its one school is below. Public schools: the Orcutt Union Elementary school district. Los Alamos’ only public school teaches 170 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olga L. Reed ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 170 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Los Alamos: 16% of adults report frequent mental distress. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours locally, against 35% in California’s towns and 36% across U.S. towns. Two figures for adults locally: 27% have obesity, 72% had a checkup this year.
| Los Alamos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Los Alamos | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.9% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 7.7% | 9.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 7.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.5% of working residents work locally in Los Alamos. Since 2013, Los Alamos has added 250 jobs, to 273 in 2023. Los Alamos’ mean commuting time stands at 19 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 33 miles.
| Los Alamos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.5% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $79,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes in Los Alamos are typically worth about $887,000, down 1.2% in a year, 17% above the California typical home. The share of households in Los Alamos who own their home: 75%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Los Alamos Park | — | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Los Alamos; the nearest are
About 9 of every 100 Los Alamos residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Los Alamos’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Place in California, United States
Los Alamos (Spanish: Los Álamos, meaning The Cottonwoods) is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Located in the Los Alamos Valley, the town of Los Alamos is considered to be a part of the Santa Ynez Valley community. It is 140 miles (230 kilometres) northwest of Los Angeles and 281 miles (452 km) south of San Francisco. The population was 1,839 at the 2020 census, down from 1,890 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Los Alamos as a census-designated place (CDP).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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−.