Homes are expensive, about $484K for a typical one and 5.9 times the Modesto metro’s $81K median household income. Overall it grades C−, 453rd among California's 841 graded towns. It also does better than most on health: residents are healthier than 62% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On hazard risk, just 34 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. Salida’s July high is 94°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.

WeakestD⁻Cost of living

What makes Salida stand out

Where Salida beats most towns.

A history going back 156 years.

How Salida grades

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

How grading works

Cost of livingD⁻Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11.4 of 20; 2.2% of households have no car; 1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →HealthDoctors Medical Center 5.7 miles awayBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities; earthquakes tops the listBOpen →Jobs & income$95K median household incomeBOpen →SchoolsB⁻Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors1 mile of trail; 2% conserved landC⁺Open →History1 notable person born hereDOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

Climate–Open →Housing market17 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.3; 20% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Untitled photo, 2020

Salida’s story

156 years in pictures

Census counts: 18,070 in 2000, 13,886 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2020 and 6 maps from 1915 on.

1870Salida is settled

Explore the history →

Getting set up

Moving to Salida: who provides what

Salida is unincorporated, so Stanislaus County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerModesto Irrigation District23.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterCity of Modesto - Salida water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesStanislaus CountyStanislaus County provides services here

SchoolsModesto City High School District Salida Union Elementary School District2 districts serve Salida; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES

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 hereStanislaus County Clerk, Registrar of VotersStanislaus County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025

ZIP code9536895368 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 Salida.

Salida carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly earthquakes), has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Modesto and other neighbors.

HousingCost of living grade D⁻

Salida earns a D− for cost of living

The median rent in Salida is $2,081 a month. The typical Salida home is worth about $484,000, down 1.4% in a year, 36% below the California typical home. 77% of households own their home in Salida.

$484KZillow home value

	Salida	California towns	U.S. towns
Median rent	$2,081 a month	$1,895 a month	$1,185 a month
Households that own their home	77%	64%	73%

Typical home value

Salida$484K

California$762K

Market temperature

days on market

99.7%

sale-to-list price

−1.4%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageSalida’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsDown 1.4% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 5.1 years of income Rents$2,081 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsBehind its graded neighbor

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

SchoolsB⁻

On state tests, Salida’s schools trail 54% of California districts

Its public schools are run by the Salida Union Elementary school district. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.

46%of CA districts it outscoresB⁻School Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Dena Boer ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5	Grades K–5	444	B

Full pageSalida’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsSalida Union Elementary Vs. the neighborsAhead of its graded neighbor Every school3 schools · Dena Boer Elementary Questions“Are Salida’s schools good?”

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

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers in Salida

July afternoons average 94.3°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.3°.

Salida has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Salida’s January low is 39°F. Snow is almost unheard of.

94°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter40–59°

Spring48–74°

Summer59–92°

Fall50–78°

Dec 5

typical first frost

Jan 31

typical last frost

+1.6°

vs. the 20th-century average

94°

typical summer high

Full pageSalida’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 94°, January lows 39°Rain & snow13″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard of Heating & coolingBoth heating and cooling Then and now+1.6° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B

Most working residents commute out of Salida

Salida has about as many jobs (5,571) as working residents, but only 253 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 4,254 in 2013 to 5,571.

Most working residents leave Salida for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Salida has added 1,317 jobs, to 5,571 in 2023. 6.7% of Salida workers work from home.

4%work in town

	Salida	California towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	32 minutes	28 minutes	25 minutes
Work from home	6.7%	14%	11%
Working residents who work in town	4.3%	6.6%	8%
Below the poverty line	8.2%	10%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Salida4%

Modesto20%

Stockton6%

Manteca3%

Livermore3%

18 mi

median commute distance

5,571

jobs based in Salida

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns

Full pageSalida’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here5,571 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work4% work in Salida Commute times32 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 18 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HealthB

Salida earns a B for health

Salida beats the California average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3.

62%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade

	Salida	California towns	U.S. towns
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	71%	72%	79%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	19%	16%	16%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	28%	31%	35%
Depression (CDC PLACES)	20%	22%	23%

32 measures vs. California

5 better24 too close to call3 worse

What stands out	Salida	CA
Fewer adults who have had a stroke	2.6%	3.1%
Fewer adults with heart disease	4.7%	5.6%
More adults with obesity	34.3%	27.8%

Doctors Medical Center

5.7 mi away · emergency room

1 of 3

care shortages: mental health

50th

percentile among CA towns

Full pageSalida’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore binge drinkers Hospitals & doctors nearby5.7 miles to an ER · Doctors Medical Center How adults are doingMore adults in frequent mental distress Every CDC estimateBetter than CA on 5 of 32

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

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B

Salida faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by earthquakes

FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of California towns, with expected losses of about $54 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.

44risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

EarthquakesInland floodingHeat waves

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageSalida’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters1 federal disaster · Paid out in Salida Get readyReady for earthquakes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

OutdoorsC⁺

Conserved land covers 2.2% of Salida

0.8 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.

2.2%conserved

	Salida	California towns	U.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile	0.4 miles per square mile	1.0	0.4
Conserved land	2.2%	4.3%	4.3%

2.2%

conserved · 32 of 1,417 acres

0.8 mi

of trails · 0.4 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Neighborhood Park	—	5
2. Murphy Park	—	4
3. Salida Park	—	4

Full pageSalida’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map0.8 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk5 acres · Neighborhood Park Conserved land2.2% conserved · 32 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Salida?”

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Salida

18pages on Salida

The big questions

SchoolsB⁻Behind 54% of CA districts · 3 schools HealthBBetter than CA on 5 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingD⁻$484K typical home · down 1.4% in a year Work & commuteB$95K median household income · 5,571 jobs here Natural hazardsBFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities · earthquakes

Out and about

OutdoorsC⁺1 mi of trails · 2% conserved land PlacesAttractions73 nearby · McHenry Mansion 7 mi LibrarySalida Library CollegesModesto Junior College is 5.7 mi away

The story

HistoryDSettled 1870 Famous people1 born in Salida Climate94° summer highs

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 95368 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Salida

Modesto Junior CollegeCommunity college · Public · Modesto5.7 mi$1,282 in-state tuition

About 9 of every 100 Salida residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Salida

Census-designated place in California, United States

Salida (Spanish for "exit") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Stanislaus County, California, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 13,886. It is part of the Modesto metropolitan area. Cultivation of almonds has historically been a significant activity in the vicinity, including a major Blue Diamond processing facility nearby. The plant is involved exclusively in processing whole brown almond kernels with a "dry" process involving no water, heat or chemicals. Salida is within the East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District which comprises 984 square miles (2,550 km2) of land area and attends to a variety of environmental conservation and best management a…

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

Established: 1870
Area: 5.3 sq mi
Elevation: 69 ft
ZIP code: 95368

Salida’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Salida.

Explore the map →

ModestoSalida

Modesto

SE · 20% of Salida workers commute here

Visit

How the neighbors grade

Town	CA rank	Overall	Cost	Safety	Schools	Health
Salida	#453	C⁻	D⁻	—	B⁻	B
Modesto	#708	D⁻	D	D	C	C

Salida reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Salida with a neighbor →

Questions about Salida

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Salida, CA a good place to live?

Salida grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #453 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.

Is Salida, 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 D−.

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