Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Overall it grades C, 411th among California's 841 graded towns. The median household earns $128K and it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $716K for a typical one and 5.3 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Pinole’s median rent is $2,700 a month, where California’s towns sit at $1,895 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Only 73 of California’s 1,063 towns score higher on history. San Pablo Bay Regional Shoreline, at 62 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Pinole beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its founding year, 1772, comes before those of 99% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 340 in 1890, 19,022 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Pinole is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 3%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pinole. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw16 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw15 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw17 mi GardenPresidio of San FranciscoAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pinole, 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 Pinole.
Pinole fares better on crime within California than nationally, has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has home values still below their peak.
Since 1978, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pinole.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the West Contra Costa Unified school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West County MandarinLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 528 | – |
| Pinole Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,245 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
At 35.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 67% of California’s graded towns.
Pinole’s property crime rate is 21.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Pinole | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
11 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves.
| Pinole | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Pablo Bay Regional Shoreline | 1 mi | 62 |
| 2. Bayfront Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
| 3. Hugh Young Park | — | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Pinole for work: only 4% work in town. The average trip to work in Pinole is 35 minutes. Since 2013, Pinole has added 237 jobs, to 4,576 in 2023.
| Pinole | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $128,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 17% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 4,778 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pinole’s, it is less healthy than 65%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Pinole beats the California average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 18% of Pinole adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Pinole | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 22% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 11% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Pinole | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.8% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 42.8°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 75.3°.
Pinole has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Pinole | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 75°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 43°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (16% statewide); children under 18 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). 39% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Pinole. Pinole has lost 2.5% of its people since 2020, down to 18,543 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Pinole | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 44.7 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 29% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Pinole | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.7% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.4% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.4% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.7% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.9% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.7% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.3% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.8% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.6% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.6% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $716K, is 14% below its June 2022 peak. At about $716K, home values are down 5% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
The typical Pinole home is worth about $716,000, about the same as a year ago, 6% below the California typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
22 within 15 miles of the center of Pinole
About 6 of every 100 Pinole residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Pinole’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Pinole on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in California, United States
Pinole (Spanish for "cornmeal") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Its population was 19,022 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Pinole.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinole | #411 | C | D | C− | C+ | B+ |
| El Sobrante | #304 | C+ | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Hercules | #195 | B− | D− | B+ | C+ | A− |
| Tara Hills | #295 | C+ | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Bayview | #232 | B− | C+ | — | C+ | C+ |
| Richmond | #605 | D | C− | D | C+ | C+ |
El Sobrante, Tara Hills and Bayview report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Pinole with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pinole grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #411 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health, C− for safety 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Todd Huth and Gino Torretta.
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