Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A tough set of grades. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $474K, 7.8 years of the Eureka area’s $61K median household income. Taken together, its subjects give McKinleyville a C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 538th of 841 in California. Where it does best is walkability (A−): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. McKinleyville Community Forest, at 588 acres with 7.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. The town’s midsummer high is 69°F, below both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Just over a tenth of the land locally is conserved, above both the California town median (4.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%).
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap · NOAA normals, 1991–2020 · USGS PAD-US.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far McKinleyville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where McKinleyville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 7,772 in 1980, 16,262 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 4 maps from 1922 on.
Where McKinleyville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Ordered by what stands out in McKinleyville.
McKinleyville has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, has less no health insurance than most of California and has home values still below their peak.
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in McKinleyville than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 1995, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in the town. Three fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 40%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Public schools: the McKinleyville Union Elementary school district. The largest public high school is McKinleyville High, with 566 students. Of its 5 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKinleyville MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 302 | – |
| McKinleyville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 566 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
In 11 parks and preserves, walkers have 23 miles of trail. McKinleyville’s density of trails stands at 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McKinleyville Community Forest | 7.7 mi | 588 |
| 2. Little River State Beach | 2.1 mi | 193 |
| 3. Hiller Park | 1.3 mi | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical value, about $474K, is 19% below its July 2022 peak. At about $474K, home values are down 10% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
On the market in McKinleyville: a median 26 days to sell. Zillow values the typical McKinleyville home at about $474,000, down 3.6% in a year, 38% below the California typical home. The median rent for McKinleyville comes to $1,607 a month.
| McKinleyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,607 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 6,408 working residents takes 21 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
McKinleyville’s average commute is 21 minutes. For most workers, McKinleyville is a place to come home to: only 16% work in town. Jobs based in McKinleyville grew to 2,518 in 2023, 447 more than in 2013. Also worth knowing: 14% of McKinleyville residents live below the poverty line.
| McKinleyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 40.7°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 68.8°.
Snow is almost unheard of. The January low in the town is 41°F.
| McKinleyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 69°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 41°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 6.2% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide.
For adults in McKinleyville, the share who feel lonely is 33%. Against the California average, McKinleyville comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 7. Two figures for adults in the town: 19% report frequent mental distress, 72% had a checkup this year.
| McKinleyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | McKinleyville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.6% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 18 to 34 are 20% of residents (24% statewide). 38% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in McKinleyville. For McKinleyville, the median age is 41.1 years.
| McKinleyville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 41.1 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 41.9, men 40.1.
| McKinleyville | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.4% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.3% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.3% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 27% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.3% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around McKinleyville. Close and well known come first.
11 mi National ParkRedwood National Park1.2M visitors a year13 mi Zoo & aquariumSequoia Park Zoo
31 mi State parkPrairie Creek Redwoods State Park
7 mi MuseumArcata Wastewater Treatment Plant and Wildlife Sanctuary
11 mi MuseumClarke Historical Museum
11 mi MuseumHumboldt Bay Maritime MuseumRedwood National Park: Michael Schweppe, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park: California Department of Parks and Recreation, Public domain · Arcata Wastewater Treatment Plant and Wildlife Sanctuary: Monotropa_uniflora (talk) (Uploads), Public domain · Clarke Historical Museum: NoeHill, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
McKinleyville is unincorporated, so Humboldt 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.
1 within 15 miles of the center of McKinleyville
About 5 of every 100 McKinleyville residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
McKinleyville (formerly Minorsville) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Humboldt County, California, United States. McKinleyville is located 5.25 miles (8.4 km) north of Arcata, at an elevation of 141 feet (43 m). The population was 16,262 at the 2020 census, up from 15,177 at the 2010 census. This unincorporated community is the third largest community, after Eureka and Arcata, on the far North Coast. It is also the location of the Arcata–Eureka Airport, the largest airport in Humboldt County and the region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with McKinleyville.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKinleyville | #538 | C− | D− | — | B | B |
| Fieldbrook | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Westhaven-Moonstone | — | — | D | — | B+ | B+ |
| Arcata | #466 | C− | D− | C− | A− | B+ |
Westhaven-Moonstone has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. McKinleyville and Westhaven-Moonstone report no FBI crime data of their own. Fieldbrook isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare McKinleyville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
McKinleyville grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #538 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
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