Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical California town.
Sutter Creek grades C overall, ranked 428th of 841 in California, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 84% of U.S. towns. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 81% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 2 of California’s 463 towns score higher on civic life. Sutter Creek’s July high is 94°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Only 10 of California’s 1,063 towns score higher on history.
Where Sutter Creek beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Knight's Foundry and ShopsWhere Sutter Creek’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 Sutter Creek is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1848, comes before those of 96% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,324 in 1880, a low of 920 in 1920, 2,646 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1871 and 3 maps from 1941 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sutter Creek, 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 Sutter Creek.
Sutter Creek has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, has home values still below their peak and has commutes shorter than most of California.
The typical value, about $465K, is 10% below its May 2022 peak. At about $465K, home values are down 3% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
The typical Sutter Creek home is worth about $465,000, down 1.3% in a year, 39% below the California typical home. 55% of Sutter Creek households own their home.
| Sutter Creek | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,572 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Amador County Unified school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Amador High, with 615 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter Creek ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 387 | B− |
| Amador HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 615 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Since 1980, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sutter Creek.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 1,220 working residents takes 21.2 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Most working residents leave Sutter Creek for work: only 4% work in town. Sutter Creek’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Jackson (10%), Sacramento (6%) and Ione (5%).
| Sutter Creek | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 28% of residents (16% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (24% statewide). 17% of residents are under 18 in Sutter Creek. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Sutter Creek | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.9 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
58% women, 42% men
About 74 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±7.2 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Sutter Creek | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.3% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.7% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.2% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0.7% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 37.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.4% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
Sutter Creek beats the California average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Sutter Creek | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 29% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Sutter Creek | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 94.1°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.2°.
Sutter Creek has mild winters and hot summers. The January low in Sutter Creek is 38°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within California, it does better than 77% of towns.
| Sutter Creek | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.8 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Sutter Creek | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Minnie Provis Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Sutter Creek; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Sutter Creek residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
2 places in Sutter Creek on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in California, United States
Sutter Creek (formerly spelled Sutter's Creek and Suttercreek; formerly named Suttersville) is a city in Amador County, California, United States. The population was 2,646 at the 2020 census, up from 2,501 at the 2010 census. It is accessible via State Route 49.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Sutter Creek.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter Creek | #428 | C | D | B− | B− | B+ |
| Martell | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Martell isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sutter Creek with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sutter Creek grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #428 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within California, it does better than 77% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
2 notable people were born here, including William J. Coyle and F. Carlton Ball.
