County park in Santa Nella, California, 2011, 2011
Santa Nella’s story
Santa Nella in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2011.
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Santa NellaCA
A town of 2,107.
Photo: Cristiano Tomás · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
2,107
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$435K
Census ACS
Household income
$99K
median
Median age
35.1
years
Jobs based here
640
Balanced
Is Santa Nella a good place to live?
Santa Nella’s best subject grade is an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Santa Nella’s average trip to work is 56 minutes, against 28 minutes in California’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only 39 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on the outdoors. Santa Nella has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Santa Nella stand out
Where Santa Nella beats most towns.
A growing town
Santa Nella has grown 60% from 2010 to 2020
1,380 counted in 2010 and 2,211 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Santa Nella grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Santa Nella is from typical.
Hazard riskdrought tops the listDOpen →HealthMemorial Hospital Los Banos 9 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.1 of 20; 10.5% of households have no carA−Open →Cost of livingC+Open →SchoolsC+Open →Jobs & income$99K median household incomeBOpen →
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 →
Getting set up
Moving to Santa Nella: who provides what
Santa Nella is unincorporated, so Merced County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSanta Nella County Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMerced CountyMerced County provides services here
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 hereMerced County Registrar of Voters - ElectionsMerced County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code9532295322 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 Santa Nella.
SchoolsC+
Santa Nella’s schools rank behind 61% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Gustine Unified school district. Its one school is below.
39%of CA districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romero ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 225 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Santa Nella is less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns
Santa Nella sits where California’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 19% on this measure. Santa Nella beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 33% of adults worry about having enough food in Santa Nella.
18%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Santa Nella | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 16% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 72% | 79% |
32 measures vs. California
1 better12 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Santa Nella | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.5% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 21.1% | 10.6% |
Memorial Hospital Los Banos
9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Santa Nella faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by drought
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities.
83risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtEarthquakesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Santa Nella
Santa Nella has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Santa Nella’s July high is 93°F.
93°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter41–59°
Spring49–74°
Summer61–91°
Fall52–78°
Dec 11
typical first frost
Jan 27
typical last frost
+1.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
93°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Most working residents commute out of Santa Nella
Most working residents leave Santa Nella for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in Santa Nella grew to 640 in 2023, 158 more than in 2013. 5.6% of Santa Nella residents live below the poverty line.
4%work in town
| Santa Nella | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $99,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Santa Nella4%
Los Banos10%
Fresno5%
Merced4%
Hollister3%
39 mi
median commute distance
640
jobs based in Santa Nella
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade C+
Homes in Santa Nella sell for about $436K
$436Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in March
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Santa Nella
16pages on Santa Nella
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Santa Nella; the nearest are
California State University-StanislausUniversity or college · Public · Turlock30.7 mi$8,246 in-state tuitionGavilan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Gilroy31.8 mi$1,508 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Santa Nella residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Santa Nella
Census designated place in California, United States
Santa Nella is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Merced County, California, United States. It is located 10 miles (16 km) west-northwest of Los Banos at an elevation of 154 feet (47 m). As of the 2020 census, Santa Nella had a population of 2,211, up from 1,380 at the 2010 census. The site's status as a stopping place for travelers dates back to the 19th century when it was Rancho de Centinela (Spanish for "Sentinel Ranch") along El Camino Viejo; the route through the community has since been replaced by Interstate 5 and State Route 33.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 154 ft
- Area code
- 209
Questions about Santa Nella
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Santa Nella, CA expensive?
That is 6.6 years of the area's median household income ($65,510 across the Merced, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.