South Dos PalosCA
A town of 1,102, settled in 1906.
Is South Dos Palos a good place to live?
The best of South Dos Palos’ subject grades is a B for the outdoors; the weakest is a D for health. 48% of residents live below the poverty line in South Dos Palos, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 68 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on health. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Only 27 of California’s 1,063 towns score lower on history. South Dos Palos has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,102 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How South Dos Palos grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far South Dos Palos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to South Dos Palos: who provides what
South Dos Palos is unincorporated, so Merced 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in South Dos Palos.
On CDC estimates, South Dos Palos is less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns
South Dos Palos does better than the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 20. 25% of South Dos Palos adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Two figures for adults locally: 40% get no exercise outside work, 40% worry about having enough food.
| South Dos Palos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 16% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | South Dos Palos | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4% | 6.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 17.1% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools in South Dos Palos fall behind 64% of California districts
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified school district. South Dos Palos’ only public school teaches 71 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westside HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 71 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Very high risk in South Dos Palos, with earthquakes at the top
Nearly two fifths of South Dos Palos’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 31%. One declared disaster, in 2022, has brought federal aid to South Dos Palos households.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
South Dos Palos has 0.0 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
For most workers, South Dos Palos is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. South Dos Palos’ average commute stands at 30 minutes. The median commute is under 32 miles. The top destinations are Dos Palos (15%), Los Banos (8%) and Fresno (8%).
| South Dos Palos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
South Dos Palos: mild winters and hot summers
For South Dos Palos, the typical July afternoon high is 94°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Conserved land covers 1.5% of South Dos Palos
1.1 miles of trail. South Dos Palos’ density of trails comes in at 0.7 miles per square mile.
| South Dos Palos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about South Dos Palos
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of South Dos Palos; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 South Dos Palos residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
99% of working residents leave South Dos Palos for work
Where South Dos Palos’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About South Dos Palos
Census-designated place in California, US
South Dos Palos (formerly Dos Palos Station) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Merced County, California, United States. It is located 2 miles (3 km) southwest of Dos Palos at an elevation of 118 feet (36 m). The population was 1,747 at the 2020 census, up from 1,620 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 118 ft
- ZIP code
- 93665
- Area code
- 209
Questions about South Dos Palos
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Dos Palos, 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 C.