Thornton, CA Spring Vineyards, 2012, 2012
Thornton’s story
116 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2012 and 6 maps from 1910 on.
- 1910Thornton is settled
ThorntonCA
Settled in 1910, this town now has 817 residents.
Population
817
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$451K
−0% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
36.0
years
Jobs based here
234
Balanced
Settled
1910
116 years ago
Is Thornton a good place to live?
21% of residents live below the poverty line in Thornton, against 10% in California’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Among 834 California towns, just 6 have a lower midpoint rent than Thornton. Thornton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
817 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Thornton.
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: very high risk in Thornton, mostly drought
85risk score of 100
Expected losses in Thornton break down as 76% from drought and 15% from earthquakes. The risk rating from FEMA for Thornton is 85 of 100. Also worth knowing: households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2022.
FEMA risk score
DroughtEarthquakesInland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Thornton’s kids attend
Its one school is below. Public schools: the New Hope Elementary school district. 164 students attend Thornton’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hope ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 164 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Housing
Zillow puts the typical Thornton home at about $451K
$451KZillow home value
For households in Thornton, the share who are owner-occupiers is 60%.
Typical home value
Thornton$451K
California$762K
−0%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Thornton: mild winters and hot summers
93°summer high
Thornton’s midsummer high is recorded as 93°F.
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–58°
Spring48–74°
Summer58–91°
Fall50–78°
Dec 5
typical first frost
Feb 9
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
93°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Thornton has 0.8 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
2%work in town
The top destinations are Lodi (9%), Stockton (9%) and San Francisco (3%). For most workers, Thornton is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. In Thornton, the average commute is 32 minutes. Jobs in Thornton grew by 180 from 2014 to 2024, reaching 234.
| Thornton | Typical California town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 6.6% | 7.9% |
Where working residents work
In Thornton2%
Lodi9%
Stockton9%
San Francisco3%
Modesto3%
29 mi
median commute distance
234
jobs based in Thornton
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2024 · ACS
Health
How healthy Thornton is
Among adults 18 to 64 in Thornton, 20% have no health insurance. In Thornton, 30% of adults worry about having enough food, and 18% report frequent physical distress.
| Thornton | Typical California town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 22% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
0 better12 too close to call20 worse
| What stands out | Thornton | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20% | 10.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 19.5% | 10.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.8% | 17.9% |
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento
16.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Thornton
16pages on Thornton
The big questions
Out and about
Nearby attractions
All 116 attractions →Mount Diablo and 44 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Thornton. Close and well known come first.
36 mi MountainMount Diablo
24 mi State parkSutter's Fort
29 mi Stadium & arenaARCO Arena
24 mi State parkGovernor's Mansion State Historic Park
23 mi Stadium & arenaHornet Stadium
25 mi MuseumCalifornia State Railroad Museum500K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mount Diablo: Trurl66, Public domain · Sutter's Fort: Ian Howard, CC BY 2.5 · ARCO Arena: CLopez63, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Governor's Mansion State Historic Park: Mark James Miller, CC BY 3.0 · Hornet Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · California State Railroad Museum: The original uploader was Swampyank at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Thornton: who provides what
Thornton is unincorporated, so San Joaquin County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSan Joaquin County - Thornton water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSan Joaquin CountySan Joaquin County provides services here
SchoolsGalt Joint Union High School DistrictNew Hope Elementary School District2 districts serve Thornton; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 Joaquin Registrar of VotersSan Joaquin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2020
ZIP codes95686, 9563295686 93% · 95632 7%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
A shrinking town
Thornton has shrunk 11% from 2010 to 2020
1,131 counted in 2010 and 1,004 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Thornton
About 4 of every 100 Thornton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Thornton
Census-designated place in California, United States
Thornton is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Joaquin County, California, United States. Thornton is located along Interstate 5 7 miles (11 km) west-southwest of Galt. Thornton has a post office with ZIP code 95686. As of the 2020 census, Thornton had a population of 1,004.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 13 ft
- ZIP code
- 95686
Questions about Thornton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Thornton, CA a good place to live?
Thornton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Thornton is in here
Say something about Thornton.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.