74 years in pictures
Census counts: 2,683 in 1980, 3,263 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2015.
- 1952Meadow Vista is settled
Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,162, settled in 1952.
Meadow Vista grades B− overall, 177th among California's 841 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 78% of California towns on state tests and graduation. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $646K for a typical one and 6.6 times the Sacramento metro’s $97K median household income. 37% of residents are 65 or older in Meadow Vista, where California’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 18%. The biggest park or preserve is Meadow Vista Park, at 20 acres. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 72% of U.S. towns.
Where Meadow Vista beats most towns.
Where Meadow Vista’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Meadow Vista is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,683 in 1980, 3,263 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2015.
Meadow Vista is unincorporated, so Placer 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 Meadow Vista.
For adults 25 and older in Meadow Vista, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 42%.
| Meadow Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 58.5 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 29% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.4 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Meadow Vista | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.9% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.9% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.7% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.8% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.8% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 24.6% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.2% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.3% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 15.3% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.2% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.7% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.7% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.8% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,200, single groups can be off by several points
Its one school is below. The Placer Hills Union Elementary school district runs its public schools. Meadow Vista’s only public school teaches 367 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Hills ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 367 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
In Meadow Vista, 28% of adults have obesity. This California town does better than the California average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 5. 31% of adults in Meadow Vista sleep under 7 hours; 7.7% worry about having enough food.
| Meadow Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 7.7% | 16% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 4% | 9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Meadow Vista | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The concentration of trails for Meadow Vista comes to 1.1 miles per square mile. 5.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Meadow Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meadow Vista Park | 0.6 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Half of commuters travel less than 29 miles. Meadow Vista’s average trip to work is 31 minutes. Most people who work leave Meadow Vista to do it: just 5% work in town. Among residents here, 4.8% live below the poverty line.
| Meadow Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $101,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected losses in Meadow Vista break down as 61% from inland flooding and 34% from wildfires. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 77% of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims here since 2005: one.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 93° and January nights drop to 37°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical home value in Meadow Vista is about $646,000, up 2.8% in a year, 15% below the California typical home. 90% of Meadow Vista households own their home. The median rent here is $1,808 a month.
| Meadow Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,808 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Meadow Vista. Close and well known come first.
35 mi Stadium & arenaARCO Arena
14 mi State parkEmpire Mine State Historic Park
38 mi State parkSutter's Fort
37 mi Stadium & arenaHornet Stadium
38 mi State parkGovernor's Mansion State Historic Park
38 mi MuseumCalifornia State Railroad Museum500K visitors a yearARCO Arena: CLopez63, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Empire Mine State Historic Park: Beej71, CC BY 2.5 · Sutter's Fort: Ian Howard, CC BY 2.5 · Hornet Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · 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
None within 15 miles of Meadow Vista; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Meadow Vista residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Meadow Vista is a census-designated place (CDP) in Placer County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population was 3,263 at the 2020 census, up from 3,217 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Meadow Vista grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #177 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and A− 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.