Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 833, settled in 1931.
24% of residents live below the poverty line in Tulelake, against 10% in California’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Among 614 California towns, just 1 have a lower typical home value than Tulelake. Tulelake’s trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile, against 1.0 in California’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Tulelake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 785 in 1940, 902 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tulelake, 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 Tulelake.
Tulelake’s median rent is $852 a month. The typical Tulelake home is worth about $156,000, up 0.7% in a year, 79% below the California typical home. 56% of households own their home in Tulelake.
| Tulelake | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $852 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 56% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Tulelake Basin Joint Unified school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulelake Basin ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 270 | D |
| Tulelake HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 209 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Most working residents leave Tulelake for work: only 8% work in town. The median household income in Tulelake is $48,000. Jobs based in Tulelake fell to 107 in 2023, 74 fewer than in 2013.
| Tulelake | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Tulelake has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 22° and about 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4 crimes were reported in Tulelake in 2025: 2 property and 2 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Tulelake is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Tulelake beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 37% of Tulelake adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Tulelake | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Tulelake | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 6.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.8% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Otis Roper Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Tulelake; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Tulelake residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
1,010 counted in 2010 and 902 in 2020; an estimated 833 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
City in California, United States
Tulelake ( TOO-lee-layk) is a city in northeastern Siskiyou County, California, United States. The town is named after nearby Tule Lake. Its population is 857 as of the 2023 census, down from 902 in the 2020 census. Tulelake peace officers are authorized by state law, along with cooperation of the state of Oregon, to serve as and be recognized as peace officers within Malin, Oregon, along with the inverse being true for peace officers employed within Malin, wherein they are recognized as peace officers within Tulelake by the California Penal Code.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tulelake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.