Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,899, settled in 1872.
Pajaro earns a D−, 820th of 841 graded towns in California, mostly because of health. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country. What it does well: 1% of its land is conserved. Pajaro’s July high is 73°F, below both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Homes are expensive, about $750K for a typical one and 7.7 times the Salinas metro’s $97K median household income. Porter-Vallejo Mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Pajaro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 4 maps from 1955 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pajaro. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw36 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
22 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
23 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of Art
31 mi Stadium & arenaSAP Center
37 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a yearLevi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0 · SAP Center: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pajaro is unincorporated, so Monterey 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 Pajaro.
Pajaro has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is mostly renters.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 98% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Pajaro Valley Unified school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pajaro MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 398 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
29% of Pajaro adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Pajaro beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 66% of Pajaro adults had a checkup this year.
| Pajaro | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Pajaro | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.2% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 16.5% | 20.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 29% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Pajaro is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Pajaro | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pajaro Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Pajaro River | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Watsonville Wtr Wks weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 324 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 72.8°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 40.6°.
Pajaro has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Pajaro’s January low is 41°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Pajaro for work: only 2% work in town. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Pajaro. Jobs based in Pajaro grew to 863 in 2023, 172 more than in 2013.
| Pajaro | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3 within 15 miles of the center of Pajaro
About 4 of every 100 Pajaro residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Place in California, United States
Pajaro (Spanish Pájaro 'bird') is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located on the south bank of the Pajaro River 5 miles (8 km) northeast of its mouth, at an elevation of 26 feet (7.9 m). For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined that community as a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 2,882 at the 2020 census, down from 3,070 in 2010. The school district is in Santa Cruz County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Pajaro.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pajaro | #820 | D− | D | — | C | D |
| Watsonville | #720 | D− | D | C | C | C |
Pajaro reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Pajaro with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pajaro grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #820 of 841 in California. It grades D for health and C for schools. Hazard risk 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.
