Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Pacific Grove grades A− overall, 62nd of 841 graded towns in California. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country and its schools outperform 87% of the state's. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $1.4 million for a typical one and 14.1 times the Salinas metro’s $97K median household income. Pacific Grove’s midpoint home value is $1,367,000, above both the California town median ($709,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($332,000). Pacific Grove is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Only 51 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk.
Where Pacific Grove beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Pacific Grove | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.6% | 10.6% |
Where Pacific Grove’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 Pacific Grove is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Asilomar Conference Grounds is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,336 in 1890, 15,090 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 5 maps from 1913 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pacific Grove, 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 Pacific Grove.
Pacific Grove carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly earthquakes), fares better on crime within California than nationally and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 14.1 years of the Salinas metro’s $97K median household income, the typical home (about $1.37M) costs more against local pay than in 90% of California towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
On the market in Pacific Grove: a median 12 days to sell. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 1.6%. Its rent at the middle of the market stands at $2,455 a month.
| Pacific Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,455 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 50% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.37M.
Two of its 6 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Pacific Grove High, with 552 students. Its public schools are run by the Pacific Grove Unified school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey Bay CharterLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 475 | B+ |
| Pacific Grove HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 552 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
9.1 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, at 717 acres. In Pacific Grove, the density of trails is 2.3 miles per square mile.
| Pacific Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 10% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Asilomar Conference Grounds | 1.7 mi | 46 |
| 2. Asilomar State Beach | 1.4 mi | 33 |
| 3. George Washington Park | 0.9 mi | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
26% of adults have obesity in Pacific Grove. CDC measures, 32 in all: Pacific Grove beats California on 19 and trails on 4.
| Pacific Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Pacific Grove | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 5,032 working residents takes 22.1 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
In Pacific Grove, the median household income is $106,000. Commuting out is the norm locally: 13% of working residents work locally. For workers here, the share who do their job from home is 22%. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs locally rose by 224, to 3,330.
| Pacific Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $106,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Monterey Wfo weather station records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 44°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 65.5°.
Snow almost never falls. Pacific Grove’s January low comes in at 44°F. Expect warm winters and cool summers here, with very little rain.
| Pacific Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 66°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 90% of California’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 15 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
The violent offense rate in Pacific Grove is 1 per 1,000 residents. The property crime rate locally is 7.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Pacific Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of California towns, with expected losses of about $312 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA puts three fifths of Pacific Grove’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 38% to inland flooding. For Pacific Grove, the risk rating from FEMA is 46 of 100. Since 2016, one flood insurance claim has been paid here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pacific Grove. Close and well known come first.
in town Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
2 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of Art
3 mi Scenic drive17-Mile Drive
38 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a year12 mi Canyon & gorgeMonterey Canyon
24 mi Theme parkSanta Cruz Beach BoardwalkMonterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 17-Mile Drive: Humanoid one, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Josta Photo, CC BY 2.0
5 within 15 miles of the center of Pacific Grove
About 6 of every 100 Pacific Grove residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
7 places in Pacific Grove on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Pacific Grove.
City in California, United States
Pacific Grove is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city had a population of 15,090 at the 2020 census. Pacific Grove is a popular tourist destination on the Central Coast, hosting notable attractions the Monarch Grove Sanctuary, Asilomar Conference Center, the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens, and Point Pinos Lighthouse, among others. The region was historically inhabited by the Rumsen tribe of Ohlone people. During the Mexican era, the area was granted by Governor José Figueroa to local merchant José Abrego as part of Rancho Punta de Piños, in 1833. Following the Mexican-American War and the U.S. conquest o…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Pacific Grove.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Grove | #62 | A− | D− | B | A | A |
| Del Monte Forest | #93 | B+ | D− | — | B+ | A |
| Monterey | #352 | C | D− | C− | B− | A |
Del Monte Forest reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Pacific Grove with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Pacific Grove grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #62 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, B for safety and A 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−.
4 notable people were born here, including Josh Randall and Ben Jealous.
