Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Los Banos grades D− overall, 732nd of 841 graded towns in California, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $68K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns. Los Banos’ average trip to work is 55 minutes, above both California’s towns (28 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Los Banos's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. Homes are expensive, about $457K for a typical one and 7 times the Merced metro’s $66K median household income.
Where Los Banos beats most towns.
35,972 counted in 2010 and 45,532 in 2020; an estimated 49,614 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.8% since 2020, after 26.6% 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 Los Banos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 745 in 1910, 45,532 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 4 maps from 1921 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Los Banos, 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 Los Banos.
Los Banos has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has commutes longer than most of California.
The median rent in Los Banos is $1,557 a month. The typical Los Banos home is worth about $457,000, down 1.3% in a year, 40% below the California typical home. 60% of Los Banos households own their home.
| Los Banos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,557 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Los Banos Unified school district. Two of its 19 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Banos Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 938 | – |
| Pacheco HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,725 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 14,158 working residents takes 54.6 minutes, against 28.7 across California. Jobs based here grew from 4,854 in 2013 to 6,787.
About one in 5 of Los Banos’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Los Banos has added 1,933 jobs, to 6,787 in 2023. 6.1% of workers work from home in Los Banos.
| Los Banos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Work from home | 6.1% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Los Banos beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15.
| Los Banos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 72% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Los Banos | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 19.7% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6.7 miles of trail in 27 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Fairgrounds Park, at 33 acres.
| Los Banos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Elena Talbott Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 2. Meadowlands III Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
| 3. Fairgrounds Park | 0.1 mi | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Los Banos weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 322 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. The Los Banos weather station records that about 97 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Los Banos has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Los Banos’ July high is 94°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within California, it does better than 63% of towns.
| Los Banos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Los Banos; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Los Banos residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
2 places in Los Banos on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Los Banos.
City in California, United States
Los Banos ( lohss BAN-ohss), alternatively Los Baños ( lohss BAN-yohss), is a city in Merced County, California, United States. It is located in the San Joaquin Valley in Central California, near the junction of State Route 152 and Interstate 5. Its population was 45,532 at the 2020 census, up from 35,972 at the 2010 census. The city is served by Los Banos Municipal Airport for air transport access.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Los Banos grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #732 of 841 in California. It grades C for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 63% of towns.
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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Tony Coelho and Nick Steitz.
