Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,071, settled in 1870. 3.4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical California town.
Mount Shasta's standout: it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C−, 493rd of 841 graded towns in California. It has 10 miles of trail. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $415K for a typical one and 7 times the county’s $59K median household income. 36% of working residents work locally in Mount Shasta, against 6.6% in California’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Mount Shasta's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Where Mount Shasta beats most towns.
Where Mount Shasta’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 Mount Shasta is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 556 in 1890, 3,223 in 2020. The archive holds 29 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mount Shasta. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi MountainMount Shasta
6 mi WaterfallMossbrae Falls
in town GardenMount Shasta City Park6 mi Ski areaMt. Shasta Ski Park36 runs · 2,081 ft vertical15 mi GardenDunsmuir Botanical GardensMount Shasta: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mossbrae Falls: Pinecar at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Mount Shasta City Park: Daniel Mayer (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens: Daniel Mayer (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mount Shasta, and how to reach them.
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 Mount Shasta.
Mount Shasta draws workers from Weed and beyond, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Mount Shasta’s trail density is 2.7 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Shastice Park, at 36 acres.
| Mount Shasta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shastice Park | 0.5 mi | 36 |
| 2. Mount Shasta City Park | 0.4 mi | 14 |
| 3. Sisson Meadow | 0.3 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Mt. Shasta Union Elementary school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| SissonLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 274 | B+ |
| Mount Shasta HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 241 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
1,793 jobs are based in Mount Shasta, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 20.5 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
About one in 3 of Mount Shasta’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Mount Shasta is $48,000. Since 2013, Mount Shasta has lost 118 jobs, to 1,793 in 2023.
| Mount Shasta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median household earns $47,917, against $99,122 across California, one input to its C for jobs and income.
People 65 and older are 34% of residents (16% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (24% statewide). Mount Shasta has lost 4.7% of its people since 2020, down to 3,071 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Mount Shasta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.2 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 29% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.2 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Mount Shasta | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.6% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.1% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.4% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 22.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.2% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.3% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.2% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 19.1% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.2% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
The median property tax bill is $2,396, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
52% of households own their home in Mount Shasta. The typical Mount Shasta home is worth about $415,000, down 0.7% in a year, 45% below the California typical home.
| Mount Shasta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,406 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Mt Shasta weather station records that 89 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 27.1°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 91% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 88.4°.
Mount Shasta has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers.
| Mount Shasta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 27°F | 41°F | 22°F |
| July high | 88°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within California, it does better than 66% of towns.
| Mount Shasta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,983 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mount Shasta’s, it is healthier than 88%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
39% of Mount Shasta adults have high blood pressure.
| Mount Shasta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Mount Shasta | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.5% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mount Shasta
About 2 of every 100 Mount Shasta residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
6 notable people were born in Mount Shasta.
City in California, United States
Mount Shasta (also known as Mount Shasta City) is a city in Siskiyou County, California, United States, at approximately 3,600 feet (1,100 m) above sea level on the flanks of Mount Shasta, a prominent northern California landmark. The city is less than 9 miles (14 km) southwest of the summit of its namesake volcano. Mount Shasta is the final community up the Sacramento River, located along Interstate Highway 5, approximately 14 kilometers (nine miles) south of Weed and approximately six kilometers (3.7 miles) north of Dunsmuir, and marks the river's northern terminus, approximately 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) downstream from the Sacramento River Forks. Mount Shasta's population is 3,223 as o…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mount Shasta grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #493 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health, C+ for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 66% of towns.
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−.
6 notable people were born here, including Anita Loos and Ann Little.
