Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Homes are expensive, about $1.1 million for a typical one and 11.2 times the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household income. Overall it grades C, 343rd of 841 graded towns in California. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 88% of the country and it has 8 miles of trail. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 33% of residents are 65 or older in Pismo Beach, above both California’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (18%). The biggest park or preserve is Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, at 6,237 acres. Only 36 of California’s 463 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Pismo Beach beats most towns.
3.2% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Pismo Beach is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,425 in 1950, 8,072 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pismo Beach, 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 Pismo Beach.
Pismo Beach is a second-home town and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
28% of Pismo Beach adults sleep under 7 hours. Pismo Beach beats the California average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 14% of Pismo Beach adults report frequent mental distress.
| Pismo Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Pismo Beach | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.5% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Lucia Mar Unified school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judkins MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 431 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 294 to 168 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Pismo Beach is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Pismo Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.3 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 11.2 years of the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household income, the typical home (about $1.09M) costs more against local pay than in 83% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
Pismo Beach’s median rent is $2,232 a month. The typical Pismo Beach home is worth about $1,095,000, up 2.2% in a year, 44% above the California typical home.
| Pismo Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,232 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 1983, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pismo Beach.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Pismo Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pismo State Beach | 1.1 mi | 216 |
| 2. North Beach Campground | 1.1 mi | 43 |
| 3. Chumash Park | 0.7 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 46.4°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 67.5°.
Pismo Beach has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Pismo Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 68°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 46°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Pismo Beach for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Pismo Beach grew to 3,955 in 2023, 410 more than in 2013. 6.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Pismo Beach.
| Pismo Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $118,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 17% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pismo Beach. Close and well known come first.
9 mi MuseumMission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa19 mi LandmarkLanding of the first Filipinos
13 mi State parkMontaña de Oro State Park
8 mi MuseumSan Luis Obispo Railroad Museum
12 mi MuseumDana Adobe22 mi Zoo & aquariumCharles Paddock ZooMission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa: Stephen Lea, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Montaña de Oro State Park: BorisFromStockdale, CC BY-SA 3.0 · San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum: SLOGlen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dana Adobe: Ken Figlioli, CC BY-SA 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Pismo Beach
About 3 of every 100 Pismo Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
City in California, United States
Pismo Beach (Chumash: Pismuʔ) is a city in the southern portion of San Luis Obispo County, in the Central Coast area of California, United States. Its population was 8,072 at the 2020 census, up from 7,655 in 2010. The city was reincorporated in 1946. Its waterfront includes a pier built in 1924 and renovated in 2018. Nearby Pismo State Beach includes a wintering site for monarch butterflies.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Pismo Beach.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pismo Beach | #343 | C | D− | C− | B+ | A |
| Grover Beach | #355 | C | D− | B− | B+ | B− |
| Avila Beach | — | — | D | — | A | A+ |
| Arroyo Grande | #149 | B | D− | B− | B+ | A |
Avila Beach has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Avila Beach reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Pismo Beach with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pismo Beach grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #343 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, C− for safety and B+ 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−.
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