Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 738 jobs.
Mendocino’s mean commuting time is 51 minutes, against 28 minutes in California’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Among 848 California towns, just 2 have a higher median age than Mendocino. Mendocino’s concentration of trails is 2.2 miles per square mile, where California’s towns sit at 1.0 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Mendocino has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Mendocino Woodlands Recreational Demonstration Area and Mendocino and Headlands Historic District. Mendocino has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Mendocino beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 824 in 2000, 932 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 3 maps from 1943 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mendocino is unincorporated, so Mendocino 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 Mendocino.
Its two schools are below. The public schools here belong to the Mendocino Unified school district. Public school enrollment in the town: 406 students across 2 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendocino K-8Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 241 | B− |
| Mendocino HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 165 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts
The top destinations are Fort Bragg (15%), Ukiah (3%) and San Francisco (3%). Just 18% of Mendocino’s working residents have a job in town. Half of commuters travel less than 24 miles.
| Mendocino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
56% of Mendocino’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 34%. Compared with just over two thirds of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is higher. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect warm winters and cool summers in Mendocino. July afternoons reach 66°, January nights drop to 42° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails total 6.7 miles in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Mendocino Headlands State Park, 286 acres with 5.9 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mendocino Headlands State Park | 5.9 mi | 286 |
| 2. Friendship Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Mendocino Rotary Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Typical home values rose 2.4% in the year to September 2026. 88% of households own their home in Mendocino.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the California average, Mendocino comes out ahead on 12 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 7. Among adults here, 26% have obesity. Two figures for adults in the town: 30% sleep under 7 hours, 13% binge drink.
| Mendocino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 31% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Mendocino | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.1% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.9% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.7% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mendocino. Close and well known come first.
10 mi BeachGlass Beach
25 mi LighthousePoint Arena Light
7 mi GardenMendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
in town MuseumKelley House Museum
33 mi MuseumGrace Hudson MuseumGlass Beach: Ggerdel - Foto de: Gustavo Gerdel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Point Arena Light: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens: Allie Caulfield, CC BY 2.0 · Kelley House Museum: Daderot, CC0 · Grace Hudson Museum: User:Binksternet, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Mendocino; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Mendocino residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Mendocino’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Mendocino on the National Register of Historic Places.
Place in California, United States
Mendocino (Spanish for "of Mendoza") is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California, United States. The name comes from Cape Mendocino, located 85 miles (137 km) to the north and named by early Spanish navigators in honor of Antonio de Mendoza, Viceroy of New Spain. Despite its small size, the town's scenic location on a headland surrounded by the Pacific Ocean has made it extremely popular as an artists' colony and with vacationers. Mendocino is located 10 miles (16 km) south of Fort Bragg at an elevation of 154 feet (47 m). For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Mendocino as a census-designated place (CDP). The population of the CDP was 932 a…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mendocino has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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