Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town settled in 1858, now home to 324 people.
Mountain Ranch’s midpoint age is 58.2 years, where California’s towns sit at 39 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Mountain Ranch has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
1,628 counted in 2010 and 223 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Census counts: 1,557 in 2000, 223 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 2 maps from 1945 on.
Mountain Ranch is unincorporated, so Calaveras 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 Mountain Ranch.
Values fell 2.8% in the year to September 2026.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected losses in Mountain Ranch break down as 66% from wildfires and 26% from inland flooding. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 89% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Mountain Ranch households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of working residents in Mountain Ranch who work locally: 2%. Jobs in the town fell by 455 from 2013 to 2023, to 82. The top destinations are San Andreas (9%), Jackson (5%) and San Jose (5%). Half commute less than 48 miles.
| Mountain Ranch | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
80% of Mountain Ranch adults had a checkup this year. CDC measures, 32 in all: Mountain Ranch beats California on 9 and trails on 12. Among adults locally, 19% report frequent physical distress and 12% binge drink.
| Mountain Ranch | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Mountain Ranch | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.3% | 14.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.7% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.9 miles of trail. For Mountain Ranch, the trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Mountain Ranch | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mountain Ranch. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi National ParkYosemite National Park4.3M visitors a year
14 mi State parkCalaveras Big Trees State Park
29 mi National forestStanislaus National Forest
19 mi MuseumRailtown 1897 State Historic Park
32 mi Ski areaDodge Ridge Ski Area61 runs · 1,576 ft vertical
32 mi Ski areaBear Valley61 runs · 1,843 ft verticalYosemite National Park: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Calaveras Big Trees State Park: John J. O'Brien (talk · contribs), Public domain · Stanislaus National Forest: U.S. National Park Service, Public domain · Railtown 1897 State Historic Park: Ed Bierman, CC BY 2.0 · Dodge Ridge Ski Area: IanGad, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bear Valley: Shayan Sanyal, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mountain Ranch
About 0 of every 100 Mountain Ranch residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Place in California, United States
Mountain Ranch (formerly, El Dorado and El Dorado Town) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 223 at the 2020 census. The town is registered as California Historical Landmark #282. The town center is quite small with fewer than 50 people living in it. The 5 mile square area surrounding the town accounts for the balance of the population.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mountain Ranch has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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