Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town settled in 1872, now home to 272 people.
Mad River’s typical journey to work is 10 minutes, where California’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 54% of the land in Mad River is conserved, where California’s towns sit at 4.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Mad River has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers and 4 maps from 1949 on.
Mad River is unincorporated, so Trinity 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 Mad River.
Mad River’s trail network density is 1.0 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Southern Trinity Joint Unified school district runs its public schools. Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list. 2 public schools serve Mad River, with 61 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Duzen ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 54 | B |
| Southern Trinity HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 7 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Expected losses in Mad River break down as 48% from inland flooding and 38% from wildfires. One declared disaster, in 2020, has brought federal aid to Mad River households.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Mad River, the typical July afternoon high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
43% of adults have high blood pressure in Mad River. This California town beats the California average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. Two figures for adults in the town: 20% report frequent physical distress, 31% say their health is fair or poor.
| Mad River | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Mad River | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.5% | 10.6% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 63.4% | 57.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.7% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Among households in Mad River, 86% are owner-occupiers.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Mad River; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Mad River residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Mad River (formerly Kuntz) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Trinity County, California, United States. Mad River is located in the southern part of the county. Mad River sits at an elevation of 2,484 feet (757 m). The ZIP Code is 95552. Its population is 361 as of the 2020 census, down from 420 from the 2010 census. Mad River has the last services on California State Route 36 until the Platina Store, 44 miles (71 km) away. Until it closed, the next services were the Wildwood Store, 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Platina. Its post office serves itself and the communities of Dinsmore (Humboldt County), and Van Duzen; both using 95552 as their ZIP code. Ruth residents with Post Office Boxes at …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mad River has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.