Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Nipomo grades B− overall, 193rd of 841 graded towns in California, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $110K. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $942K, 9.7 years of the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household income. Nipomo’s July high is 76°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Dana Adobe is on the National Register of Historic Places. Nipomo is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 72% of U.S. towns.
Where Nipomo beats most towns.
Where Nipomo’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 Nipomo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 3 maps from 1922 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nipomo is unincorporated, so San Luis Obispo 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 Nipomo.
Nipomo 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 homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
Jobs based here grew from 2,138 in 2013 to 2,926.
Most working residents leave Nipomo for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Nipomo has added 788 jobs, to 2,926 in 2023. 5.5% of Nipomo workers work from home.
| Nipomo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5.5% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $110,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lucia Mar Unified school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Nipomo High, with 819 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dana ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 612 | C− |
| Nipomo HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 819 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Against the 7,134 U.S. towns with household incomes like Nipomo’s, it is less healthy than 52%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Nipomo beats the California average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 71% of adults had a checkup this year in Nipomo.
| Nipomo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Nipomo | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 15% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 7.9% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
11 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest place to walk is Nipomo Regional Park, 133 acres with 5 miles of trail.
| Nipomo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nipomo Regional Park | 5 mi | 133 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 2001, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nipomo.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 9.7 years of the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household income, the typical home (about $942K) costs more against local pay than in 76% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Home values rose 31% in five years, to about $942K, against 13% across California.
The median rent in Nipomo is $2,106 a month. The typical Nipomo home is worth about $942,000, up 3.2% in a year, 24% above the California typical home.
| Nipomo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,106 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Twitchell Dam weather station, 10 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 301 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 41.9°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 76.1°.
Nipomo has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Nipomo’s January low is 42°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nipomo. Close and well known come first.
20 mi MuseumMission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa31 mi LandmarkLanding of the first Filipinos
26 mi State parkMontaña de Oro State Park
in town MuseumDana Adobe
19 mi MuseumSan Luis Obispo Railroad Museum
20 mi MuseumVandenberg Space Launch Complex 10Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa: Stephen Lea, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Montaña de Oro State Park: BorisFromStockdale, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dana Adobe: Ken Figlioli, CC BY-SA 2.0 · San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum: SLOGlen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 10: U.S. Air Force, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Nipomo
About 5 of every 100 Nipomo residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Place in California, United States
Nipomo (; Chumash: Nipumuʔ) is an unincorporated town in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 16,714 for the 2010 census and grew to 18,176 for the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Nipomo as a census-designated place (CDP).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Nipomo.
Woodlands has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Nipomo and Woodlands report no FBI crime data of their own. Blacklake isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Nipomo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nipomo grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #193 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
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