Monte Rio station postcard, 1901–1915
Monte Rio’s story
Monte Rio in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1901.
Explore the history →
Monte RioCA
A town of 876.
Photo: Stepheng3 · Public domain
Population
876
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$521K
+0.8% in a year
Household income
$64K
median
Median age
62.9
years
Jobs based here
95
A commuter town
Is Monte Rio a good place to live?
Monte Rio’s peak summer temperature is 76°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Only 10 of the 848 California towns we compare have a higher median age than Monte Rio. Monte Rio has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
876 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Nearby attractions
All 146 attractions →Fort Ross and 24 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monte Rio. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Ancient siteFort Ross
16 mi National SeashorePoint Reyes National Seashore2.4M visitors a year
14 mi Ancient siteBodega Bay
5 mi State parkArmstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve
18 mi National Recreation AreaGolden Gate National Recreation Area15.7M visitors a year
16 mi MuseumCharles M. Schulz Museum and Research CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Fort Ross: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Point Reyes National Seashore: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bodega Bay: Pixistik1687, Public domain · Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve: Cromis, CC BY 3.0 · Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center: BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Monte Rio: who provides what
Monte Rio is unincorporated, so Sonoma County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSweetwater Springs Cwd - Monte RioNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSonoma CountySonoma County provides services here
SchoolsWest Sonoma County Union High School DistrictMonte Rio Union Elementary School District2 districts serve Monte Rio; 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.govWho runs elections hereSonoma County Registrar of VotersSonoma County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2026
ZIP codes95462, 9548695462 93% · 95486 7%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 Monte Rio.
Who lives here
44% of residents are 65 or older
Monte Rio: 45% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
62.9median age · CA 37.9
Monte RioCaliforniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
33%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school26%
Some college20%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s30%
Graduate15%
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.2 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Monte Rio | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 1.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.8% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21.2% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 32.5% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.2% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.6% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.5% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.9% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 900, single groups can be off by several points
Schools
The schools Monte Rio’s kids attend
Its one school is below. The Monte Rio Union Elementary school district runs its public schools. The town’s only public school teaches 68 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Rio ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 68 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
Monte Rio stands out in California and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is higher
FEMA puts 78% of Monte Rio’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 16% to earthquakes. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2020. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
With only 0.3 jobs per working resident, most people in Monte Rio work out of town
The share of residents in Monte Rio who live below the poverty line is 12%, above both California’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). This California town had 95 jobs in 2023, down 59 from 2013. Among working residents here, 2.1% work locally. The top destinations are Santa Rosa (15%), San Francisco (7%) and Guerneville (6%).
2%work in town
| Monte Rio | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Monte Rio2%
Santa Rosa15%
San Francisco7%
Guerneville6%
Sebastopol3%
23 mi
median commute distance
95
jobs based in Monte Rio
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Housing
A home in Monte Rio is worth about $521K, on Zillow’s estimate
The typical rent in Monte Rio is $1,817 a month. In Monte Rio, 83% of households live in a home they own.
$521KZillow home value
| Monte Rio | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,817 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Monte Rio$521K
California$762K
+0.8%
value change, 1 year
4
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Monte Rio has mild winters and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 76°, January nights drop to 41° and snow is almost unheard of.
77°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter41–58°
Spring44–65°
Summer51–75°
Fall47–71°
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
77°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, fewer of Monte Rio’s adults feel lonely
For adults in Monte Rio, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 24%. This California town beats the California average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. Two figures for adults here: 27% have obesity, 19% get no exercise outside work.
| Monte Rio | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 36% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 16% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
15 better10 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Monte Rio | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 6.4% |
Healdsburg Hospital
13.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Conserved land covers 4.1% of Monte Rio
Trails run 2.0 miles in 3 parks and preserves. Monte Rio’s trail density stands at 1.0 miles per square mile.
4.1%conserved
| Monte Rio | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
4.1%
conserved · 52 of 1,262 acres
2.0 mi
of trails · 1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monte Rio Redwoods Regional Park and Open Space Preserve | 0.1 mi | 107 |
| 2. Creekside Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
| 3. Patterson Point Preserve | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Monte Rio
17pages on Monte Rio
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Monte Rio; the nearest are
Santa Rosa Junior CollegeCommunity college · Public · Santa Rosa16.7 mi$1,318 in-state tuitionSonoma State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Rohnert Park21 mi$8,624 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Monte Rio residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Monte Rio for work
Where Monte Rio’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
95jobs based in Monte Rio
2%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Monte Rio
Census-designated place in California, United States
Monte Rio (Spanish: Monte Río, meaning "River Mountain") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States, along the Russian River, near the Pacific Ocean. The town of Guerneville lies northeast of Monte Rio, and Jenner is to the west. The population was 1,080 at the 2020 census, down from 1,152 at the 2010 census. The Bohemian Grove private men's club's campground is located in Monte Rio.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 43 ft
- ZIP code
- 95462
Questions about Monte Rio
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Monte Rio, CA a good place to live?
Monte Rio has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.