Maricopa, California, Oct. 7th, 1911, 1911
Maricopa’s story
125 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1911.
- 1901Maricopa is settled
MaricopaCA
A town of 1,018, settled in 1901. 64% more nonprofits per person than the typical California town.
Photo: The original uploader was Antandrus at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,018
2025 Census estimate · −0.4% since 2020
Typical home
$204K
−3.7% in a year
Household income
$39K
median
Median age
37.7
years
Jobs based here
460
A job hub
Is Maricopa a good place to live?
Maricopa’s best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Maricopa’s July high is 97°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Only 15 of California’s 1,056 towns score lower on incomes. Maricopa's schools rank behind 94% of the state's. On civic life, just 35 of California’s 463 towns do better. Maricopa has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Maricopa stand out
Where Maricopa beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Maricopa5.1
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical CA town3.1
Civic lifeA
64% more nonprofits per person
than the typical California town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD−
Earthquakes and inland flooding at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
Small town
1,018 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Maricopa grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Maricopa is from typical.
Jobs & incomeD−Open →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listD−Open →HealthLess healthy than 96% of U.S. towns; Mercy Hospital 30.9 miles awayD−Open →SchoolsDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 5.8% of households have no car; 0.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Cost of livingB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksCOpen →History2 notable people born hereCOpen →Civic life5.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 37.7; 6% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Maricopa: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Maricopa, and how to reach them.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWest Kern Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers85% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Maricopa’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereKern County Clerk - Elections OfficeKern County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code9325293252 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Maricopa.
HousingCost of living grade B−
Maricopa’s typical home value is about $204K
The typical Maricopa home is worth about $204,000, down 3.7% in a year, 73% below the California typical home. At $1,203 a month, Maricopa’s median rent is below the California town median ($1,896 a month) and near the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 60% of households own their home in Maricopa.
$204KZillow home value
| Maricopa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,203 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Maricopa$204K
California$762K
−3.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthD−
Maricopa stands out in California and nationally: a larger share of its adults smoke cigarettes
22% of Maricopa adults smoke cigarettes. Maricopa beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 23. 36% of Maricopa adults get no exercise outside work.
4%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Maricopa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
0 better9 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | Maricopa | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.9% | 5.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.1% | 10.6% |
| More smokers | 22% | 10.9% |
Mercy Hospital
30.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
The median household income in Maricopa is lower than in most of California or the rest of the country
The median household income in Maricopa is $39,000. Jobs based in Maricopa grew to 460 in 2023, 340 more than in 2013. Most working residents leave Maricopa for work: only 9% work in town.
9%work in town
| Maricopa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Maricopa9%
Bakersfield22%
Taft16%
Los Angeles3%
Fresno2%
29 mi
median commute distance
460
jobs based in Maricopa
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 19% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Very high risk in Maricopa, with earthquakes at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 93% of U.S. communities.
93risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Maricopa
Maricopa has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Maricopa’s January low is 38°F.
97°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–62°
Spring48–76°
Summer62–95°
Fall51–80°
Dec 17
typical first frost
Jan 24
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
97°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Maricopa
18pages on Maricopa
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Maricopa
About 3 of every 100 Maricopa residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A shrinking town
Maricopa has shrunk 11% since 2010
1,154 counted in 2010 and 1,026 in 2020; an estimated 1,018 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
About Maricopa
City in California, United States
Maricopa is a city in Kern County, California. Maricopa is located 6.5 miles (10 km) south-southeast of Taft, at an elevation of 883 feet (269 m). The population was 1,026 at the 2020 census, down from 1,154 at the 2010 census. The Carrizo Plain is located to the northwest, and the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field, the third largest oil field in the United States, is adjacent on the north and east.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1910
- Area
- 1.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 883 ft
- ZIP code
- 93252
- Area code
- 661
Questions about Maricopa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Maricopa, CA a good place to live?
64% more nonprofits per person than the typical California town.
Is Maricopa, CA expensive?
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($70,210 across the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
What is Maricopa, CA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Homer Beatty and Icehouse Wilson.