Hetch Hetchy Road, Between Mather & Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
Mather’s story
Mather in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers and 7 maps from 1902 on.
Explore the history →MatherCA
A town of 4,520.
Population
4,520
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$562K
−0.2% in a year
Household income
$146K
median
Median age
34.1
years
Jobs based here
5,097
A job hub
TownGrade
B+
#95 of 841 in CA
Is Mather a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Mather grades B+ overall, 95th of 841 graded towns in California. It has 10 miles of trail. The median household earns $146K and residents are healthier than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $562K for a typical one and 5.8 times the Sacramento metro’s $97K median household income. 21% of the land in Mather is conserved, where California’s towns sit at 4.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 11 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk.
What makes Mather stand out
Where Mather beats most towns.
A job hub
Every workday, about 5,056 people come to Mather for work
Where Mather’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
5,097jobs based in Mather
2%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Mather grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Mather is from typical.
Jobs & incomeAOpen →Cost of livingC−Open →HealthKaiser Foundation Hospital - Sacramento 6.9 miles awayA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 28% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →SchoolsB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.2 of 20; 1.5% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 95° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market$562K typical home, down 0.2% in a year–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 34.1–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 57 attractions →Sutter's Fort and 35 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mather. Close and well known come first.
10 mi State parkSutter's Fort
8 mi Stadium & arenaHornet Stadium
14 mi Stadium & arenaARCO Arena
11 mi State parkGovernor's Mansion State Historic Park
12 mi MuseumCalifornia State Railroad Museum500K visitors a year
12 mi State parkLeland Stanford Mansion State Historic ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Sutter's Fort: Ian Howard, CC BY 2.5 · Hornet Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · ARCO Arena: CLopez63, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 · Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park: M.Mierzwa. MCalamari at en.wikipedia, Public domain
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Getting set up
Moving to Mather: who provides what
Mather is unincorporated, so Sacramento County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSacramento Municipal Util Dist18.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterScwa - Laguna/Vineyard water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSacramento CountySacramento County provides services here
SchoolsFolsom-Cordova Unified School DistrictElk Grove Unified School DistrictSacramento City Unified School District3 districts serve Mather; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereCounty of Sacramento Voter Registration and ElectionsSacramento County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP codes95655, 9582795655 87% · 95827 13%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 Mather.
Mather carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Sacramento and beyond and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
A smaller share of residents live below the poverty line in Mather than in most of California or the rest of the country
5,097 jobs are based in Mather, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 3,275 in 2013 to 5,097.
2.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Mather, against 10% in California’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Mather grew to 5,097 in 2023, 1,822 more than in 2013. 1.7% of Mather working residents work locally.
2%work in town
| Mather | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $146,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Mather2%
Sacramento24%
Rancho Cordova11%
Folsom6%
Roseville4%
12 mi
median commute distance
5,097
jobs based in Mather
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB+
Mather’s schools rank ahead of 68% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Folsom-Cordova Unified school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
68%of CA districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mather Heights ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 236 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HealthA−
For health, Mather earns an A−
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 6.5% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 3,043 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mather’s, it is less healthy than 63%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
69% of adults had a checkup this year in Mather. Mather beats the California average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 27% of adults have high blood pressure in Mather.
83%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Mather | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 72% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
32 measures vs. California
16 better14 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Mather | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.5% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 17.1% | 24.6% |
| More adults with depression | 23.4% | 20.1% |
VA N California Healthcare System
1.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
74th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsA+
20.8% of Mather is conserved land
The trail density in Mather is 1.0 miles per square mile.
#382for trails in CA
20.8%
conserved · 1,333 of 6,396 acres
10 mi
of trails · 1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
| 2. Mather Regional Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C−
For cost of living, Mather earns a C−
Mather’s median rent is $2,181 a month. The typical Mather home is worth about $562,000, about the same as a year ago, 26% below the California typical home.
$562KZillow home value
| Mather | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,181 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Mather$562K
California$762K
−0.2%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Mather stands out in California and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is lower
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of California towns, with expected losses of about $281 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
Only 10 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower FEMA risk score than Mather.
28risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
More children than California overall
Children under 18 are 31% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 11% of residents (16% statewide). 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
34.1median age · CA 37.9
| Mather | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 31% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 34.1 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 29% | 29% |
MatherCaliforniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma7%
High school17%
Some college26%
Associate’s11%
Bachelor’s28%
Graduate12%
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.5 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Mather | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.2% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.3% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.4% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.6% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.5% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,500, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Mather
July afternoons average 94.6°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39°.
Mather has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
95°summer high
| Mather | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–58°
Spring48–73°
Summer59–93°
Fall51–78°
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
95°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mather
17pages on Mather
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
9 within 15 miles of the center of Mather
Chamberlain University-CaliforniaUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Rancho Cordova3.3 mi$21,271 tuitionCalifornia State University-SacramentoUniversity or college · Public · Sacramento7.6 mi$8,018 in-state tuitionAmerican River CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sacramento7.9 mi$1,288 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Mather residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Mather
Census-designated place in California, United States
Mather ( MAY-ther) is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. Mather sits at an elevation of 108 feet (33 m). The 2020 United States census reported Mather's population was 4,698. It is the site of the former Mather Air Force Base, closed by the federal government in 1993.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 10 sq mi
- Elevation
- 108 ft
- ZIP code
- 95655
Mather’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Mather.
Rancho CordovaRosemontMather
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mather | #95 | B+ | C− | — | B+ | A− |
| Rancho Cordova | #314 | C+ | D | C− | B+ | B+ |
| Rosemont | #231 | B− | C− | — | B− | B+ |
Mather and Rosemont report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Mather with a neighbor →
Questions about Mather
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mather, CA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Mather grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #95 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Mather, CA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.