Mission San Miguel, 1898
San Miguel’s story
San Miguel in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 8 maps from 1897 on.
Explore the history →San MiguelContra Costa County, CA
Some 3,967 people live in this town, in California.
Population
3,967
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$1.65M
Census ACS
Household income
$250K
median
Median age
48.4
years
Jobs based here
197
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#1 of 841 in CA
Why does San Miguel grade so well?
The everyday basics are strong; the price of a home is the catch. Its strongest subject is health — CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 97% of the country. With an A overall, San Miguel is better than 93% of U.S. towns. That places it 1st of 841 in California. It also does well on schools (A+) — its schools rank ahead of 95% of California towns. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.6 million, 12.1 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. 70% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more here, where California’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index.
What makes San Miguel stand out
Where San Miguel beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave San Miguel for work
Where San Miguel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
197jobs based in San Miguel
1%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How San Miguel grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far San Miguel is from typical.
HealthKaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek 1.2 miles awayA+Open →Hazard riskEarthquakes top the listD−Open →SchoolsAmong the best of the towns comparedA+Open →Jobs & income$250K median household income; 197 jobs based hereAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8 of 20; 0.7% of households have no car; 6.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitAOpen →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesC−Open →
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 →
Nearby attractions
All 279 attractions →Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and 218 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around San Miguel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw17 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw22 mi LandmarkLombard StreetSources: 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 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain
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Getting set up
Moving to San Miguel: who provides what
San Miguel is unincorporated, so Contra Costa County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEBMUDNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesContra Costa CountyContra Costa County provides services here
SchoolsAcalanes Union High School DistrictWalnut Creek Elementary School District2 districts serve San Miguel; 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.govWho runs elections hereContra Costa County Elections DivisionContra Costa County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code9459694596 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 San Miguel.
San Miguel has schools in the top 5% of California, has less no health insurance than most of California and sends most of its workers to San Francisco and beyond.
HealthA+
San Miguel earns an A+ for health
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 3.2% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 436 U.S. towns with household incomes like San Miguel’s, it is less healthy than 65%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in San Miguel. Against the California average, San Miguel comes out ahead on 20 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 2. Two figures for adults locally: 6.7% smoke cigarettes, 13% say their health is fair or poor.
97%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| San Miguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.7% | 11% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 22% | 19% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
32 measures vs. California
20 better10 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | San Miguel | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.6% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 6.4% |
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek
1.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
94th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsA+
San Miguel earns an A+ for schools
That grade ranks #34 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. It comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.65M.
Its one school is below. Public schools: the Walnut Creek Elementary school district. San Miguel’s only public school teaches 451 students.
95%of CA districts it outscoresA+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murwood ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 451 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
San Miguel has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from earthquakes
Of the losses FEMA expects in San Miguel, 49% come from earthquakes and 49% from inland flooding. Paid flood insurance claims locally since 1980: 8. One declared disaster, in 2022, has brought federal aid to San Miguel households.
92risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
8
paid flood claims since 1980
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
The median household income in San Miguel is higher than in most of California or the rest of the country
San Miguel has 197 jobs for its 1,437 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 32.8% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Only 6 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than San Miguel. Most people who work leave San Miguel to do it: just 1% work in town. The average trip to work locally is 30 minutes. The top destinations are San Francisco (17%), Walnut Creek (14%) and Oakland (7%).
1%work in town
| San Miguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In San Miguel1%
San Francisco17%
Walnut Creek14%
Oakland7%
Concord5%
15 mi
median commute distance
197
jobs based in San Miguel
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
The climate in San Miguel brings mild winters and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.
87°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–58°
Spring46–70°
Summer56–85°
Fall49–75°
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
87°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about San Miguel
16pages on San Miguel
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
20 within 15 miles of the center of San Miguel
Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Moraga5.1 mi$57,803 tuitionDiablo Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · Pleasant Hill6 mi$1,312 in-state tuitionUniversity of California-BerkeleyUniversity or college · Public · Berkeley12.2 mi$16,347 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 San Miguel residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About San Miguel
Census-designated place in California, United States
San Miguel is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. San Miguel sits at an elevation of 249 feet (76 m). The 2020 United States census reported San Miguel's population was 3,591.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 299 ft
- Area code
- 925
Questions about San Miguel
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is San Miguel, CA a good place to live?
Yes, by almost any measure. San Miguel grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #1 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is San Miguel, 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−.