Boy standing under a large oak tree in Templeton, California, 1891, 1891
Templeton’s story
140 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
- 1886Templeton is settled
TempletonCA
A town of 9,580, settled in 1886.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Fruitianslip · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
9,580
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$934K
+1.9% in a year
Household income
$117K
median
Median age
39.7
years
Jobs based here
4,278
Balanced
TownGrade
B−
#190 of 841 in CA
What should you know before moving to Templeton?
The typical home is worth about $934K, 9.6 years of the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household income. Overall it grades B−, 190th of 841 graded towns in California. It is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns and its schools rank ahead of 75% of California towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 81% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Templeton’s median rent is $2,533 a month, against $1,895 a month in California’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
What makes Templeton stand out
Where Templeton beats most towns.
How Templeton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Templeton is from typical.
Its grades run from A for health (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
Cost of livingD−Open →HealthAdventist Health Twin Cities 0.1 miles awayAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →SchoolsA−Open →Jobs & incomeB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8 of 20; 2% of households have no car; 1.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
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, 88° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market$934K typical home, up 1.9% in a year; 15 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.7–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 15 attractions →Hearst Castle and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Templeton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi State parkHearst Castle15 mi LandmarkLanding of the first Filipinos
13 mi MuseumMission San Miguel Arcángel
40 mi LandmarkFort Hunter Liggett
19 mi MuseumMission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
22 mi State parkMontaña de Oro State ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Hearst Castle: No machine-readable author provided. Urban~commonswiki assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mission San Miguel Arcángel: Jsweida, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Hunter Liggett: Binksternet, Public domain · Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa: Stephen Lea, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Montaña de Oro State Park: BorisFromStockdale, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Templeton: who provides what
Templeton is unincorporated, so San Luis Obispo County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTempleton Csd water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% 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 codes93465, 9344693465 85% · 93446 15%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 Templeton.
Templeton has commutes shorter than most of California and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of California; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
HealthA
Templeton’s grade for health is an A
For adults in Templeton, the share who have diabetes is 9.3%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Templeton beats California on 14 and trails on 2. Among adults in the town, 17% get no exercise outside work and 26% have obesity.
91%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Templeton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 11% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
14 better16 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Templeton | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.4% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 6.4% |
Adventist Health Twin Cities
0.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
84th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsA−
Templeton’s grade for schools is an A−
Two of its 9 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by the Templeton Unified school district. 4 public schools serve Templeton, with 1,380 students in all.
75%of CA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Templeton MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 478 | B+ |
| Templeton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 725 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Top of a very high hazard risk in Templeton: inland flooding
FEMA puts 56% of Templeton’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 32% to earthquakes. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
81risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesDrought
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB−
Open space protected for good: 2.2% of Templeton
5.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Templeton’s trail network density comes in at 0.7 miles per square mile.
#475for trails in CA
| Templeton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
2.2%
conserved · 113 of 5,041 acres
5.4 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Evers Sports Park | — | 8 |
| 2. Tom Jermin Sr. Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Templeton Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Who lives here
Young adults are less common in Templeton than in California
The share of residents in Templeton who are under 18: 26%. Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (24% statewide); children under 18 are 26% of residents (22% statewide). College graduates make up 41% of adults 25 and older, against 37% across California.
39.7median age · CA 37.9
| Templeton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 16% | 18% |
TempletonCaliforniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
15%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school14%
Some college30%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s26%
Graduate15%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Templeton | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.8% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.7% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.1% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.8% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 14.4% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.3% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.6% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.7% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.2% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
HousingCost of living grade D−
Templeton’s grade for cost of living is a D−
At 9.6 years of the San Luis Obispo metro’s $97K median household income, the typical home (about $934K) costs more against local pay than in 75% of California towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Values rose 1.9% in the 12 months to September 2026. On the market in Templeton: a median 15 days to sell. 74% of households live in a home they own in the town.
$934KZillow home value
Typical home value
Templeton$934K
California$762K
Market temperature
15
days on market
97.7%
sale-to-list price
+1.9%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Expect mild winters and hot summers in Templeton
The Paso Robles weather station, 5 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 238 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 79% of California places with climate records.
July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 37° and snow is almost unheard of.
88°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter37–63°
Spring43–72°
Summer52–86°
Fall45–78°
Nov 10
typical first frost
Mar 15
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
88°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
With 1.2 jobs for every working resident, Templeton draws in 3,832 commuters
The average commute for its 3,481 working residents takes 20.9 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Templeton’s middle household income is $117,000. For most workers, Templeton is a place to come home to: only 13% work in town. 4.2% of Templeton residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Templeton has added 510 jobs, to 4,278 in 2023.
13%work in town
| Templeton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $117,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 14% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Templeton13%
El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)14%
San Luis Obispo12%
Atascadero12%
Los Angeles3%
18 mi
median commute distance
4,278
jobs based in Templeton
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Templeton
18pages on Templeton
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Templeton; the nearest are
Cuesta CollegeCommunity college · Public · San Luis Obispo15.6 mi$1,350 in-state tuitionCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoUniversity or college · Public · San Luis Obispo18.1 mi$13,596 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Templeton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Famous people from Templeton
4 notable people were born in Templeton.
About Templeton
Census-designated place in California, United States
Templeton is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 8,368 at the 2020 census, up from 7,674 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 807 ft
- ZIP code
- 93465
- Area code
- 805
Templeton’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Templeton.
El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)AtascaderoTempleton
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Templeton | #190 | B− | D− | — | A− | A |
| El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) | #533 | C− | D− | C | B− | B |
| Atascadero | #278 | C+ | D− | B | B+ | B+ |
Templeton reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Templeton with a neighbor →
Questions about Templeton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Templeton, CA a good place to live?
Templeton grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #190 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Templeton, CA expensive?
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−.
What is Templeton, CA known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Brian Barden and Miss Fame.