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 peak summer temperature 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.
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Pajaro than in 98% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Pajaro households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023. Expected losses in Pajaro break down as 58% from earthquakes and 24% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its one school is below. The Pajaro Valley Unified school district runs its public schools. 398 students attend the town’s public school.
| 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
In Pajaro, 17% of adults binge drink. The town beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. Two figures for adults locally: 37% get no exercise outside work, 41% worry about having enough food.
| 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
Pajaro’s trail network density comes in at 1.1 miles per square mile. In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.0 miles of trail.
| 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°.
Its January low stands at 41°F. Snow is a rarity.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of residents in Pajaro who live below the poverty line: 19%. Jobs in Pajaro grew by 172 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 863. In Pajaro, the average trip to work is 29 minutes. The median commute is under 18 miles.
| 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.
