Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town with more to fix than most. Overall, San Miguel earns a D: better than nearly a tenth of U.S. towns, and 632nd of 841 in California. Where it falls short is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $540K, 5.5 years of the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household income. It lags on hazard risk as well: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Its strongest subject is health (B+): it is healthier than nearly two thirds of U.S. towns. Caledonia Adobe is on the National Register of Historic Places. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in the town, against 10% in California’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. 36% of residents are under 18 in San Miguel, where California’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places.
Where San Miguel beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
2,336 counted in 2010 and 3,172 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far San Miguel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1797, comes before those of 98% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,123 in 1990, 3,172 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 2 maps from 1948 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
San Miguel is unincorporated, so San Luis Obispo 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.
Ordered by what stands out in San Miguel.
San Miguel sends most of its workers to El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) and beyond and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of California; it also has poverty well above the California rate.
Of the losses FEMA expects in San Miguel, 39% come from inland flooding and 23% from earthquakes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the San Miguel Joint Union school district. The town’s only public school teaches 448 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lillian Larsen ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 448 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests
San Miguel has 207 jobs for its 1,126 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) (23%), Atascadero (8%) and San Luis Obispo (7%). Only 2% of working residents stay in San Miguel for work; the rest commute out. Its average trip to work stands at 28 minutes. Half commute less than 20 miles.
| San Miguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
30% of adults have obesity in San Miguel. Of 32 CDC measures, San Miguel beats the California average on 8 and trails it on 7. In San Miguel, 25% of adults have high blood pressure, and 19% binge drink.
| San Miguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 72% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | San Miguel | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4% | 5.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.6% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 14.6% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Paso Robles Muni Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 213 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 82% of California places with climate records. January nights average 36.1°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 78% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 93.2°.
For San Miguel, the January low is 36°F. Snow is a rarity.
| San Miguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 93°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The density of trails in San Miguel is 0.2 miles per square mile. Across 2 parks and preserves: 0.4 miles of trail.
| San Miguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rios-Caledonia Adobe | — | 6 |
| 2. San Miguel Community Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around San Miguel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi State parkHearst Castle
in town MuseumMission San Miguel Arcángel
33 mi LandmarkFort Hunter Liggett28 mi LandmarkLanding of the first Filipinos
33 mi MuseumMission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
35 mi State parkMontaña de Oro State ParkHearst Castle: No machine-readable author provided. Urban~commonswiki assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mission San Miguel Arcángel: Jsweida, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Hunter Liggett: Binksternet, Public domain · Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa: Stephen Lea, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Montaña de Oro State Park: BorisFromStockdale, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of San Miguel; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 San Miguel residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where San Miguel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Place in California, United States
San Miguel (Spanish for "St. Michael") is an unincorporated community in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,172. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined San Miguel as a census-designated place (CDP). San Miguel was founded by the Spanish in 1797, when Mission San Miguel Arcángel was established by Fermín de Lasuén. San Miguel is a tourist destination with historic architecture and vineyards, as part of the Paso Robles wine region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
San Miguel grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #632 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Truly Shattuck and Hamp Pool.
