Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,866, settled in 1850. 78% more nonprofits per person than the typical California town.
Trash day: look up yoursSonora earns a D, 687th of 841 graded towns in California, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 35 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 93% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $83K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 72% of U.S. towns. Sonora’s rate of reported violence is 7.3 per 1,000 residents, against 2.9 in California’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Only 22 of California’s 463 towns score higher on civic life. Sonora has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Sugg House and City Hotel.
Where Sonora beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Sonora’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Sonora is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,960 in 1860, a low of 1,322 in 1870, 5,003 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sonora, and how to reach them.
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 Sonora.
Sonora draws workers from Phoenix Lake and beyond and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of California; it also is a long drive from an emergency room.
4,315 jobs are based in Sonora, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Since 2013, Sonora has lost 520 jobs, to 4,315 in 2023. Just 16% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The town’s average trip to work stands at 29 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 42 miles away.
| Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The largest public high school is Sonora High, with 880 students. Its public schools are run by the Sonora Union High school district. The 6 public schools in Sonora teach 1,701 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonora ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 643 | B |
| Sonora HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 880 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
For Sonora, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 20.7 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical value, about $400K, is 9% below its June 2022 peak.
The typical rent in Sonora is $1,238 a month. Values fell 1.6% in the year to September 2026. 43% of households live in a home they own locally.
| Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,238 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Sonora’s density of trails is 1.1 miles per square mile. There are 3.3 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Mother Lode Fairgrounds, at 20 acres.
| Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mother Lode Fairgrounds | — | 20 |
| 2. Woods Creek Rotary Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
63% of Sonora’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 23%. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in three quarters of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 6 claims locally since 1986.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Sonora, 24% of residents are 65 or older. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Sonora at 4,866 residents, down 2.7% since 2020. College graduates make up a third of adults 25 and older, against 37% across California.
| Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.1 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
57% women, 43% men
About 75 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.4 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Sonora | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.7% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.1% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.7% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.5% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.7% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.6% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.7% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,900, single groups can be off by several points
The Sonora weather station 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 34.6°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 83% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 92.9°.
The January low for Sonora comes to 35°F. Snow is a rarity.
| Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 93°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The nearest emergency room, Oak Valley Hospital District, is 30.3 miles away in a straight line.
For adults in Sonora, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 23%. Of 32 CDC measures, Sonora beats the California average on 3 and trails it on 12. In Sonora, a fifth of adults report frequent mental distress, and 16% report frequent physical distress.
| Sonora | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Sonora | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults lacking emotional support | 24% | 28.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.3% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sonora
About 5 of every 100 Sonora residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
7 places in Sonora on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Sonora.
City in California, United States
Sonora is the only incorporated city in Tuolumne County, California, United States, of which it is also the county seat. Founded during the California Gold Rush by Mexican miners from Sonora (after which the city is named), the city population was 5,003 during the 2020 census, an increase from the 4,610 counted during the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Sonora.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonora | #687 | D | D | D | B | C+ |
| East Sonora | #409 | C | C− | — | B | B |
| Jamestown | #488 | C− | C | — | C+ | C+ |
East Sonora and Jamestown report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sonora with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sonora grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #687 of 841 in California. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 5.2 years of the area's median household income ($77,404 across the Sonora, CA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
18 notable people were born here, including T.J. Dillashaw and Jenny O'Hara.
