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California›Placer County

Meadow VistaCA

A town of 3,162, settled in 1952.

Is Meadow Vista a good place to live?

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.

What makes Meadow Vista stand out

Where Meadow Vista beats most towns.

A commuter town

95% of working residents leave Meadow Vista for work

Where Meadow Vista’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

9% → Sacramento Sacramento 9% 8% → North Auburn North Auburn 8% 7% → Auburn Auburn 7% 6% → Roseville Roseville 6% 4% → Rocklin Rocklin 4% 3% → Folsom Folsom 3% Meadow Vista · 5% stay
418jobs based in Meadow Vista
5%of working residents work in town
29 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Meadow Vista grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Meadow Vista is from typical.

How grading works
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.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Meadow Vista, United States (Unsplash)
Meadow Vista, United States (Unsplash), 2015
Meadow Vista’s story

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
Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Meadow Vista: who provides what

Meadow Vista is unincorporated, so Placer County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMeadow Vista Cwd water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPlacer CountyPlacer County provides services here
SchoolsPlacer Hills Union Elementary School DistrictPlacer Union High School District2 districts serve Meadow Vista; 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.gov
Who runs elections herePlacer County Registrar of VotersPlacer County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2023
ZIP code9572295722 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 Meadow Vista.

Who lives here

The median age in Meadow Vista is higher than in most of California or the rest of the country

For adults 25 and older in Meadow Vista, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 42%.

58.5median age · CA 37.9
Meadow VistaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Median age58.5 years39 years40.5 years
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+42%29%29%
Meadow VistaCaliforniaUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma2%
High school15%
Some college30%
Associate’s11%
Bachelor’s25%
Graduate17%

Women and men · all residents

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.

Ages and education in Meadow Vista
Meadow VistaCAU.S.
Under 108.9%11.4%11.6%
10 to 176.9%10.5%10.3%
18 to 242.1%9.1%9.1%
25 to 349.7%14.8%13.7%
35 to 449%13.9%13.2%
45 to 547.8%12.5%12.2%
55 to 6418.8%12.1%12.7%
65 to 7424.6%9.2%10.2%
75 and older12.2%6.5%7%
No diploma2.3%15.3%10.4%
High school15.3%20.5%26%
Some college30.2%19.3%19.1%
Associate’s10.7%7.9%8.8%
Bachelor’s24.7%22.7%21.6%
Graduate16.8%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

SchoolsA−

For schools, Meadow Vista earns an A−

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.

78%of CA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Sierra Hills ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3Grades K–3367–

NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation

HealthA

For health, Meadow Vista earns an A

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.

86%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
Meadow VistaCalifornia townsU.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%
32 measures vs. California
15 better12 too close to call5 worse
What stands outMeadow VistaCA
Fewer uninsured adults4%10.6%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity7.7%17.9%
More adults who have had cancer11.7%6.4%
Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital
6.4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
77th
percentile among CA towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

OutdoorsB−

Meadow Vista keeps 4.2% of its land conserved

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.

#365for trails in CA
Meadow VistaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile1.1 miles per square mile1.00.4
Conserved land4.2%4.3%4.3%
4.2%
conserved · 145 of 3,460 acres
5.7 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Meadow Vista Park0.6 mi20

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−

Most of Meadow Vista’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.3 jobs for each of them

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.

5%work in town
Meadow VistaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work31 minutes28 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line4.8%10%9.6%
Median household income$101,000$95,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town4.6%6.6%8%

Where working residents work

In Meadow Vista5%
Sacramento9%
North Auburn8%
Auburn7%
Roseville6%
29 mi
median commute distance
418
jobs based in Meadow Vista
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−

High risk in Meadow Vista, with inland flooding at the top

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.

77risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
77High riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingWildfire
1
paid flood claims since 2005
1
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Four seasons and hot summers: that is Meadow Vista’s year

July afternoons reach 93° and January nights drop to 37°.

93°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter38–56°
Spring45–68°
Summer60–90°
Fall50–75°
Dec 5
typical first frost
Feb 25
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
93°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HousingCost of living grade D

For cost of living, Meadow Vista earns a D

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.

$646KZillow home value
Meadow VistaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Households that own their home90%64%73%
Median rent$1,808 a month$1,898 a month$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Meadow Vista$646K
California$762K
Market temperature
Seller’s marketA seller's marketBuyer’sSeller’s
6
days on market
100.5%
sale-to-list price
+2.8%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

ARCO Arena and 28 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Meadow Vista. Close and well known come first.

All 49 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

ARCO 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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Meadow Vista

17pages on Meadow Vista
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Meadow Vista; the nearest are

About Meadow Vista

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)

Area
5.4 sq mi
Elevation
1,713 ft
ZIP code
95722
Area code
530

Questions about Meadow Vista

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Meadow Vista, CA a good place to live?

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.

Is Meadow Vista, 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 D.