Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,934.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Overall it grades C−, 495th of 841 graded towns in California. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $721K for a typical one and 6.6 times the Oxnard metro’s $110K median household income. Meiners Oaks’ trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, against 1.0 in California’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Charles M. Pratt House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Meiners Oaks’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 Meiners Oaks is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,446 in 1950, a peak of 9,512 in 1980, 3,911 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2020 and 6 maps from 1904 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Meiners Oaks is unincorporated, so Ventura 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 Meiners Oaks.
Meiners Oaks is healthier than towns with similar incomes and sends most of its workers to Ojai and beyond, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Since 1978, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Meiners Oaks.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Ojai Unified school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meiners Oaks Early EducationLargest public elementary schoolGrades K | Grades K | 71 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
3.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Ojai Meadows Preserve, 25 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ojai Meadows Preserve | 1.1 mi | 25 |
| 2. Meiners Oaks Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Meiners Oaks has 502 jobs for its 1,760 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 20.8 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Most working residents leave Meiners Oaks for work: only 3% work in town. Meiners Oaks’ average trip to work is 21 minutes, where California’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Jobs based in Meiners Oaks grew to 502 in 2023, 124 more than in 2013.
| Meiners Oaks | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,516 U.S. towns with household incomes like Meiners Oaks’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Meiners Oaks beats the California average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 31% of adults feel lonely in Meiners Oaks.
| Meiners Oaks | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Meiners Oaks | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.4% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.1% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Meiners Oaks has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
76.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 55.3% across California.
Meiners Oaks’ median rent is $2,225 a month.
| Meiners Oaks | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,225 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Meiners Oaks. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Theme parkSix Flags Magic Mountain3.3M visitors a year
29 mi MuseumRonald Reagan Presidential Library
14 mi National ParkChannel Islands National Park227K visitors a year
30 mi LakeLake Piru
31 mi National forestLos Padres National Forest
39 mi BeachZuma BeachSix Flags Magic Mountain: Alton, CC BY 3.0 · Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Channel Islands National Park: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Lake Piru: tomsaint11, CC BY 2.0 · Los Padres National Forest: Taken by Antandrus, Public domain · Zuma Beach: Dave Parker, CC BY 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Meiners Oaks
About 5 of every 100 Meiners Oaks residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Unincorporated community in California, United States
Meiners Oaks is an unincorporated community lying west of the city of Ojai in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 3,911 at the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Meiners Oaks as a census-designated place (CDP).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Meiners Oaks.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meiners Oaks | #495 | C− | D− | — | B | B+ |
| Ojai | #269 | C+ | D− | B | B | B+ |
| Mira Monte | #540 | C− | D | — | B | B |
Meiners Oaks and Mira Monte report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Meiners Oaks with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Meiners Oaks grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #495 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $721,000, 5% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
