PotreroCA
A town of 417, settled in 1876.
Is Potrero a good place to live?
The biggest park or preserve is Potrero County Park, at 108 acres. Potrero has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
417 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Potrero: who provides what
Potrero is unincorporated, so San Diego 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Potrero.
In Potrero, the median age runs lower than in the typical California or U.S. town
Here, a third of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 37% in California as a whole. 67% never finished high school.
| Potrero | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 11 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 59% and 80% women
The Census survey reached too few of Potrero’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±10.6 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Potrero | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 29.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 48.7% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 0% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 19.9% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 1.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 0% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 0% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 0% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 67% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 0% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 0% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 0% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 0% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 33% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points
The schools Potrero’s kids attend
The Mountain Empire Unified school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. 300 students attend Potrero’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potrero ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 300 | D |
NCES · EDFacts
Potrero stands out in California and nationally, with the FEMA risk score higher than most
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Potrero after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. 91% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from wildfires, followed by inland flooding at 5%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Potrero has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Half the trips to work are shorter than 31 miles. No town among the 847 in California we compare has a lower typical household income than Potrero, whereas for residents here, the share who live below the poverty line is 100%. Also worth knowing: jobs based in Potrero grew to 56 in 2023, 29 more than in 2013.
| Potrero | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $10,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 100% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical home in Potrero: about $534K
Home values are down 7.8% over the year to September 2026. Potrero: a third of households live in a home they own.
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Potrero’s year
Potrero’s typical July afternoon high stands at 92°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Potrero is
28% of adults get no exercise outside work in Potrero. CDC measures, 32 in all: Potrero beats California on 3 and trails on 11. Among adults here, 70% had a checkup this year and 26% say their health is fair or poor.
| Potrero | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Potrero | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 17.6% | 20.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 17.6% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Open space protected for good: 6.8% of Potrero
2.1 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. In Potrero, the concentration of trails is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Potrero | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.8% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Potrero County Park | 0.7 mi | 108 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Potrero
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Potrero; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Potrero residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
100% of working residents leave Potrero for work
Where Potrero’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Potrero
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Potrero, CA a good place to live?
Potrero has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.