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Port Costa
California›Contra Costa County

Port CostaCA

The town, settled in 1881, counts 296 residents.

Photo: Sinjutchupti · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of Port Costa

Port Costa, CA · Photo: Sinjutchupti · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is Port Costa a good place to live?

Port Costa’s median age is 67.3 years, where California’s towns sit at 39 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. 50% of the land in Port Costa is conserved, against 4.3% in California’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Port Costa School is on the National Register of Historic Places. Port Costa has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

296 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Port Costa School
Port Costa School · National Register of Historic Places
Port Costa’s story

145 years in pictures

Census counts: 232 in 2000, 190 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 6 maps from 1896 on.

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1881Port Costa is settled
Explore the history →
Nearby attractions

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and 185 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Port Costa. Close and well known come first.

All 275 attractions →
Sources: 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 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting set up

Moving to Port Costa: who provides what

Port Costa is unincorporated, so Contra Costa County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterContra Costa Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesContra Costa CountyContra Costa County provides services here
SchoolsJohn Swett Unified School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereContra Costa County Elections DivisionContra Costa County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code9456994569 100%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 Port Costa.

Who lives here

67% of residents are 65 or older

College graduates make up 28% of adults 25 and older, against 37% across California.

67.3median age · CA overall 37.9
Port CostaCaliforniaUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma0%
High school16%
Some college24%
Associate’s33%
Bachelor’s14%
Graduate14%

Women and men · all residents

Somewhere between 28% and 50% women

The Census survey reached too few of Port Costa’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±11.3 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Port Costa
Port CostaCAU.S.
Under 1012.8%11.4%11.6%
10 to 170%10.5%10.3%
18 to 240%9.1%9.1%
25 to 340%14.8%13.7%
35 to 446.1%13.9%13.2%
45 to 5410.8%12.5%12.2%
55 to 643.7%12.1%12.7%
65 to 7429.7%9.2%10.2%
75 and older36.8%6.5%7%
No diploma0%15.3%10.4%
High school15.5%20.5%26%
Some college24%19.3%19.1%
Associate’s32.6%7.9%8.8%
Bachelor’s13.6%22.7%21.6%
Graduate14.3%14.4%14.1%

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points

Outdoors

Protected land: nearly a third of Port Costa

Across 1 park or preserve run 0.8 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Carquinez Regional Shoreline, at 51 acres. Port Costa’s trail network density is recorded as 4.0 miles per square mile.

50.2%conserved
50.2%
conserved · 51 of 101 acres
0.8 mi
of trails · 4.0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Carquinez Regional Shoreline0.7 mi51

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Natural hazards

Top of a very high hazard risk in Port Costa: earthquakes

In Port Costa, the FEMA hazard score is 90 of 100. FEMA puts nearly four fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 18% to inland flooding.

90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
90Very high riskLowerHigher
EarthquakesInland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

82°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter41–58°
Spring47–69°
Summer55–81°
Fall50–73°
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
82°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

A job hub: Port Costa has 1.5 jobs for every working resident and draws in 131 commuters

For most workers, Port Costa is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. Jobs in Port Costa grew by 90 from 2014 to 2024, reaching 132. The top destinations are San Francisco (17%), Martinez (7%) and Concord (7%).

1%work in town

Where working residents work

In Port Costa1%
San Francisco17%
Martinez7%
Concord7%
Oakland7%
17 mi
median commute distance
132
jobs based in Port Costa
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2024 · ACS

Housing

Homes in Port Costa are worth about $659K, by Zillow’s estimate

For households in Port Costa, the share who are owner-occupiers is 56%. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 2.2%.

$659KZillow home value

Typical home value

Port Costa$659K
California$762K
+2.2%
value change, 1 year
0
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Health

How healthy Port Costa is

75% of adults had a checkup this year in Port Costa. This California town does better than the California average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 4.

Port CostaTypical California townTypical U.S. town
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)9%16%14%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)4.7%9%8.1%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)75%72%79%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)32%36%33%
32 measures vs. California
12 better16 too close to call4 worse
What stands outPort CostaCA
Fewer uninsured adults4.7%10.6%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity9%17.9%
More adults who have had cancer10%6.4%
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center
3.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Port Costa

16pages on Port Costa
After high school

Colleges nearby

17 within 15 miles of the center of Port Costa

About Port Costa

Place in California, United States

Port Costa is a small town and census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Situated on the southern shore of the Carquinez Strait, the population was 190 in 2020 according to the United States Census Bureau.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
0.2 sq mi
Elevation
16 ft
ZIP code
94569
Area code
510

Questions about Port Costa

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Port Costa, CA a good place to live?

Port Costa has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.