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Rio Linda CA 1097 - panoramio
California›Sacramento County

Rio LindaCA

A town of 16,335, settled in 1914.

4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: UncleVinny · CC BY 3.0
Photo of Rio Linda

Rio Linda, CA · Photo: UncleVinny · CC BY 3.0 · Source ↗

Is Rio Linda a good place to live?

Rio Linda is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, 335th among California's 841 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $96K. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $447K for a typical one and 4.6 times the Sacramento metro’s $97K median household income. Only 29 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk. Rio Linda is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns.

What makes Rio Linda stand out

Where Rio Linda beats most towns.

A commuter town

94% of working residents leave Rio Linda for work

Where Rio Linda’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

24% → Sacramento Sacramento 24% 6% → Roseville Roseville 6% 3% → Rancho Cordova Rancho Cordova 3% 3% → North Highlands North Highlands 3% 3% → West Sacramento West Sacramento 3% 3% → Arden-Arcade Arden-Arcade 3% Rio Linda · 6% stay
1,990jobs based in Rio Linda
6%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Rio Linda grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Rio Linda is from typical.

How grading works
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.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Rio Linda CA 1091
Rio Linda CA 1091, 2013
Rio Linda’s story

112 years in pictures

The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 7 maps from 1902 on.

  • 1914Rio Linda is settled
Explore the history →
Nearby attractions

ARCO Arena and 32 more within 40 miles

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

All 54 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

ARCO Arena: CLopez63, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sutter's Fort: Ian Howard, CC BY 2.5 · Governor's Mansion State Historic Park: Mark James Miller, CC BY 3.0 · Hornet Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · California State Railroad Museum: The original uploader was Swampyank at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park: M.Mierzwa. MCalamari at en.wikipedia, Public domain

Getting set up

Moving to Rio Linda: who provides what

Rio Linda is unincorporated, so Sacramento County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerSacramento Municipal Util Dist18.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRio Linda/Elverta Community Water DistNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSacramento CountySacramento County provides services here
SchoolsTwin Rivers 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 hereCounty of Sacramento Voter Registration and ElectionsSacramento County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP code9567395673 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 Rio Linda.

Rio Linda carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding) and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it trails even towns with similar incomes on health.

HousingCost of living grade C−

For cost of living, Rio Linda earns a C−

Rio Linda’s median rent is $1,839 a month, against $1,898 a month in California’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. The typical Rio Linda home is worth about $447,000, up 1.2% in a year, 41% below the California typical home.

$447KZillow home value
Rio LindaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Median rent$1,839 a month$1,898 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home73%64%73%

Typical home value

Rio Linda$447K
California$762K
Market temperature
Seller’s marketA seller's marketBuyer’sSeller’s
20
days on market
100.2%
sale-to-list price
+1.2%
value change, 1 year
6
homes sold in May

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

SchoolsC+

Rio Linda’s schools rank behind 58% of California districts

Its public schools are run by the Twin Rivers Unified school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Rio Linda High, with 1,594 students.

42%of CA districts it outscoresC+School Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Dry Creek ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6Grades K–6645–
Rio Linda HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12Grades 9–121,594–

NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B

Rio Linda has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

Jobs based here grew from 1,187 in 2013 to 1,990.

Most working residents leave Rio Linda for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Rio Linda grew to 1,990 in 2023, 803 more than in 2013. 14% of Rio Linda residents live below the poverty line, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%).

6%work in town
Rio LindaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line14%10%9.6%
Average trip to work29 minutes28 minutes25 minutes
Median household income$96,000$95,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town5.6%6.6%8%

Where working residents work

In Rio Linda6%
Sacramento24%
Roseville6%
Rancho Cordova3%
North Highlands3%
10 mi
median commute distance
1,990
jobs based in Rio Linda
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers in Rio Linda

July afternoons average 95°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.2°.

Rio Linda has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Rio Linda is 95°F. Snow is almost unheard of.

95°summer high
Rio LindaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
July high95°F89°F85°F
January low39°F41°F22°F

Typical low → high °F

Winter40–58°
Spring49–74°
Summer60–93°
Fall51–78°
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
95°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B

Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Rio Linda

FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of California towns, with expected losses of about $131 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.

Rio Linda’s FEMA risk score is 38 of 100. Since 1978, 205 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rio Linda.

38risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
38Low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingEarthquakes
205
paid flood claims since 1978
2
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

OutdoorsB+

Rio Linda has set aside 9.2% of its land for conservation

2.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.

#634for trails in CA
Rio LindaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.2 miles per square mile1.00.4
Conserved land9.2%4.2%4.3%
9.2%
conserved · 582 of 6,318 acres
2.3 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Rio Linda Central PArk0.2 mi16
2. Depot Park—10
3. Westside Park—8

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

HealthB−

On CDC estimates, Rio Linda is less healthy than 51% of U.S. towns

Against the 9,120 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rio Linda’s, it is less healthy than 71%, so it trails even them.

Rio Linda beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 69% of Rio Linda adults had a checkup this year.

49%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
Rio LindaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)69%72%79%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)39%36%33%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)19%17%17%
Depression (CDC PLACES)25%22%23%
32 measures vs. California
0 better24 too close to call8 worse
What stands outRio LindaCA
More adults with COPD6.8%5.1%
More smokers14.3%10.9%
More adults with depression25.4%20.1%
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Sacramento
6.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
36th
percentile among CA towns

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Rio Linda

18pages on Rio Linda
After high school

Colleges nearby

8 within 15 miles of the center of Rio Linda

About Rio Linda

Census-designated place in California, United States

Rio Linda (Spanish: Río Linda, meaning "Pretty River") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 15,944, up from 15,106 at the time of the 2010 census.

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

Area
9.9 sq mi
Elevation
56 ft
ZIP code
95673

Rio Linda’s neighbors

4 towns share a border with Rio Linda.

Explore the map →

It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; North Highlands (C) comes closest.

How the neighbors grade
TownCA rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Rio Linda#335CC−—C+B−
McClellan Park——D−—C+C−
Elverta#463C−C−—B−B−
Sacramento#509C−DDB−B
North Highlands#442CC—B−C

McClellan Park has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Rio Linda, McClellan Park, Elverta and North Highlands report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Rio Linda with a neighbor →

Questions about Rio Linda

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Rio Linda, CA a good place to live?

Rio Linda grades C overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #335 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.

Is Rio Linda, 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 C−.