Shandon, CA-vine, 2004
Shandon’s story
135 years in pictures
Census counts: 986 in 2000, 1,168 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1914 on.
- 1891Shandon is settled
ShandonCA
A town of 1,169, settled in 1891.
Photo: Hey Paul from State College, PA, USA · CC BY 2.0
Population
1,169
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$508K
+0.3% in a year
Household income
$107K
median
Median age
29.0
years
Jobs based here
85
A commuter town
Is Shandon a good place to live?
The best of Shandon’s subject grades are a B+ for health and incomes; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. On walkability, just 55 of California’s 1,063 towns do worse. Shandon's schools rank behind 92% of the state's. Only 70 of California’s 1,058 towns score higher on cost of living. Shandon’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both California’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4). Shandon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Shandon stand out
Where Shandon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Small town
1,169 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Shandon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Shandon is from typical.
Hazard riskdrought tops the listD−Open →SchoolsDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthAdventist Health Twin Cities 20.1 miles awayB+Open →Jobs & income85 jobs based hereB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $508K, 5.2 years of the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household incomeB−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.
ClimateMild winters, 95° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market$508K typical home, up 0.3% in a year–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 29.0; 8% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Shandon: who provides what
Shandon is unincorporated, so San Luis Obispo County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSlo Csa No. 16 - Shandon water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSan Luis Obispo CountySan Luis Obispo 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 hereSan Luis Obispo County Clerk-ElectionsSan Luis Obispo County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2020
ZIP code9346193461 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 Shandon.
SchoolsD
Shandon earns a D for schools
Its public schools are run by the Shandon Joint Unified school district. Its two schools are below.
8%of CA districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shandon ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 167 | – |
| Shandon HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 83 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Shandon faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by drought
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities.
97risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingEarthquakes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, fewer of Shandon’s residents live below the poverty line
1.6% of Shandon residents live below the poverty line, below both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Shandon’s median household income is $107,000. Most working residents leave Shandon for work: only 1% work in town.
1%work in town
| Shandon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Shandon1%
El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)21%
Atascadero12%
San Luis Obispo10%
Templeton5%
30 mi
median commute distance
85
jobs based in Shandon
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade B−
Shandon stands out in California and nationally, with more of its households who own their home
94% of Shandon households own their home. The typical Shandon home is worth about $508,000, about the same as a year ago, 33% below the California typical home.
$508KZillow home value
Typical home value
Shandon$508K
California$762K
+0.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthB+
Shandon ranks healthier than 74% of the country’s towns
Shandon beats the California average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 68% of adults had a checkup this year in Shandon.
74%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Shandon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 72% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 9% | 8.1% |
32 measures vs. California
4 better27 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Shandon | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.6% | 11.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.6% | 3.1% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 65.8% | 71.3% |
Adventist Health Twin Cities
20.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Shandon
Shandon has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Shandon is 94°F.
95°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter35–61°
Spring43–74°
Summer55–93°
Fall45–80°
Nov 5
typical first frost
Apr 4
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
95°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.6%conserved
0.6%
conserved · 11 of 1,905 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crawford W Clarke Memorial Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shandon
17pages on Shandon
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shandon; the nearest are
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoUniversity or college · Public · San Luis Obispo28.9 mi$13,596 in-state tuitionCuesta CollegeCommunity college · Public · San Luis Obispo30.1 mi$1,350 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Shandon residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Shandon for work
Where Shandon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
85jobs based in Shandon
1%of working residents work in town
30 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Shandon
Place in California, United States
Shandon is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 1,168 at the 2020 census, down from 1,295 at the 2010 census. Shandon lies by the San Juan River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,040 ft
- ZIP code
- 93461
- Area code
- 805
Questions about Shandon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shandon, CA expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.