Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Overall it grades C, 415th of 841 graded towns in California. It has 20 miles of trail and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $862K for a typical one and 7.7 times the Napa metro’s $111K median household income. 30% of working residents work locally in Napa, against 6.6% in California’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Eshcol Winery and Napa Opera House.
Where Napa beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its 41 National Register listings are more than in 98% of California towns with a listing.
Census counts: 159 in 1850, 79,246 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 5 maps from 1942 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Napa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Napa. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw36 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw35 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw36 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Napa, 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 Napa.
Napa has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
741 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 66 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1982, 741 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Napa.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Napa Valley Unified school district. Two of its 31 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redwood MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 868 | – |
| Napa HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,642 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
20 miles of trail in 37 parks and preserves. The trail density in Napa is 1.1 miles per square mile. John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, at 196 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alston Park | 6.6 mi | 161 |
| 2. John F. Kennedy Memorial Park | 1.4 mi | 196 |
| 3. Westwood Hills Park | 0.9 mi | 112 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 7,745 U.S. towns with household incomes like Napa’s, it is less healthy than 54%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Napa beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 32% of Napa adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Napa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Napa | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 15.2% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults lacking emotional support | 24.8% | 28.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.2% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 1,659 to 1,036 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 61% of towns.
| Napa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Napa State Hospital weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 299 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Napa has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 38° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Napa’s working residents works in town. Napa’s median household income is $106,000. Jobs based in Napa grew to 30,053 in 2023, 3,088 more than in 2013.
| Napa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $106,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.5% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
59% of households own their home in Napa. The typical Napa home is worth about $862,000, down 1.4% in a year, 13% above the California typical home.
| Napa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,282 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 59% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the California average. Napa has lost 3.5% of its people since 2020, down to 76,562 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Napa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 41.5 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
50.4% women, 49.6% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.8 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 42.2, men 41.0.
| Napa | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.8% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.8% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.1% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 20% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.4% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
3 within 15 miles of the center of Napa
About 6 of every 100 Napa residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
41 places in Napa on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Napa.
City in California, United States
Napa (; NAP-ə) is the largest city in and the county seat of Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the city had a population of 76,921 as of July 2024. Napa is a major tourist destination in California, known for its wineries, restaurants, and arts culture.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Napa.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napa | #415 | C | D− | C | B | B+ |
| American Canyon | #357 | C | D− | C | B | B+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Napa grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #415 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health, C for safety and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 61% of towns.
25 notable people were born here, including Shirley Walker and Logan Tom.
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