Photo-CA-Penngrove, 2006
Penngrove’s story
132 years in pictures
The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 6 maps from 1916 on.
- 1894Penngrove is settled
PenngroveCA
A town of 2,119, settled in 1894.
Photo: Stephen R. Gold · Public domain
Population
2,119
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$1.25M
+1.4% in a year
Household income
$107K
median
Median age
50.8
years
Jobs based here
559
A commuter town
Is Penngrove a good place to live?
The best of Penngrove’s subject grades are an A for walkability and an A− for health; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Penngrove’s typical home value is $1,248,000, above both California’s towns ($710,000) and U.S. towns ($332,000). On hazard risk, just 106 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. The typical home is worth about $1.2 million, 11.9 years of the Santa Rosa metro’s $105K median household income. Penngrove has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Penngrove stand out
Where Penngrove beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Penngrove for work
Where Penngrove’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
559jobs based in Penngrove
1%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Penngrove grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Penngrove is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $1.25M, 11.9 years of the Santa Rosa metro’s $105K median household incomeDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 10.4 of 20; 7% of households have no carAOpen →HealthProvidence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital 10 miles awayA−Open →SchoolsB+Open →Jobs & incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 82° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 50.8; 52% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 193 attractions →Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and 141 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Penngrove. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw37 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw36 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw40 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
28 mi National MonumentMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Muir Woods National Monument: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Getting set up
Moving to Penngrove: who provides what
Penngrove is unincorporated, so Sonoma County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPenngrove Water Company (Puc)No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSonoma CountySonoma County provides services here
SchoolsPetaluma Joint Union High School DistrictPetaluma City Elementary School District2 districts serve Penngrove; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSonoma County Registrar of VotersSonoma County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2026
ZIP codes94951, 9493194951 97% · 94931 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Penngrove.
HousingCost of living grade D
Penngrove earns a D for cost of living
At $2,130 a month, Penngrove’s median rent is above both the California town median ($1,896 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Penngrove home is worth about $1,248,000, up 1.4% in a year, 64% above the California typical home. 76% of Penngrove households own their home.
$1.25MZillow home value
| Penngrove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,130 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Penngrove$1.25M
California$762K
+1.4%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsB+
Penngrove’s public schools outperform 74% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Petaluma City Elementary school district. Its one school is below.
74%of CA districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penngrove ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 472 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Penngrove faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Penngrove since 2021.
99risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesWildfire
1
paid flood claims since 2021
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA−
Residents of Penngrove are healthier than 84% of U.S. towns
Penngrove beats the California average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 30% of adults feel lonely in Penngrove.
84%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Penngrove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 16% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
14 better14 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Penngrove | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.4% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.6% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 6.4% |
Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital
10 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Penngrove has 0.6 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Penngrove for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Penngrove is 35 minutes. Since 2013, Penngrove has added 245 jobs, to 559 in 2023.
1%work in town
| Penngrove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.2% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Penngrove1%
Petaluma21%
Santa Rosa11%
San Francisco8%
Novato4%
16 mi
median commute distance
559
jobs based in Penngrove
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Penngrove has mild winters and pleasant summers
Penngrove has mild winters and pleasant summers. Penngrove’s July high is 81°F.
82°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–59°
Spring44–68°
Summer51–80°
Fall46–74°
Nov 25
typical first frost
Feb 28
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
82°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5.8%conserved
5.8%
conserved · 148 of 2,567 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Penngrove Community Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Penngrove
18pages on Penngrove
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Penngrove
Sonoma State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Rohnert Park2.8 mi$8,624 in-state tuitionSanta Rosa Junior CollegeCommunity college · Public · Santa Rosa11.1 mi$1,318 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Penngrove residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Penngrove
Census-designated place in California, United States
Penngrove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States, situated between the cities of Petaluma and Cotati, at the foot of the western flank of Sonoma Mountain. It is part of the North Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 2,637 at the 2020 census. The area is the site of a historic grove called Penn's Grove; it was formerly a freight station on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad and a center of egg and chicken farming.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 85 ft
- ZIP code
- 94951
Questions about Penngrove
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Penngrove, CA expensive?
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.