Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 72,864, settled in 1871.
Turlock grades C− overall, ranked 537th 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, the typical home is worth about $478K, 5.9 years of the Modesto metro’s $81K median household income. On hazard risk, just 71 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. Turlock’s July high is 95°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Turlock is home to California State University-Stanislaus.
Where Turlock beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| California State University-Stanislaus | 8,551 |
Dot JonesEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Turlock is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 175 in 1880, 72,740 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1916 and 4 maps from 1917 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Turlock, 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 Turlock.
Turlock carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly earthquakes), fares better on crime within California than nationally and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 34.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 64% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 1,901 to 1,198 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Turlock’s violent crime rate is 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Turlock | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Turlock Unified school district. Three of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turlock Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,294 | B− |
| Turlock HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,479 | B− |
| Walnut Elementary Education CenterTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 900 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
56% of households own their home in Turlock. The typical Turlock home is worth about $478,000, up 0.6% in a year, 37% below the California typical home. The median rent in Turlock is $1,612 a month.
| Turlock | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,612 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 52% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 95°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.2°.
Turlock has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Turlock has about as many jobs (26,036) as working residents, but only 7,315 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Turlock’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Turlock grew to 26,036 in 2023, 3,504 more than in 2013. 7.4% of Turlock workers work from home.
| Turlock | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Turlock beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Turlock | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Turlock | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.2% | 10.6% |
| More adults with obesity | 34.4% | 27.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 6% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.5 miles of trail in 24 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Donnelly Park, at 38 acres.
| Turlock | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Donnelly Park | 0.3 mi | 38 |
| 2. Pedretti Park | 0.3 mi | 21 |
| 3. Gemperle Fields | 0.2 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 92% of California towns, with expected losses of about $273 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1998, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Turlock.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Turlock. Close and well known come first.
39 mi Stadium & arenaAdventist Health Arena
39 mi MuseumRailtown 1897 State Historic Park
12 mi MuseumMcHenry Mansion
12 mi TheatreGallo Center for the Arts
25 mi TheatreMerced TheatreAdventist Health Arena: Christopher Bauer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Railtown 1897 State Historic Park: Ed Bierman, CC BY 2.0 · McHenry Mansion: Rayana fazli at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Gallo Center for the Arts: OsotedeMonte, CC BY 3.0 · Merced Theatre: Mark Miller, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Turlock
About 9 of every 100 Turlock residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
2 places in Turlock on the National Register of Historic Places.
35 notable people were born in Turlock.
City in California, United States
Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its population was 72,740 at the 2020 United States census, making it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto. The city is home to California State University, Stanislaus.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Turlock grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #537 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health, C− for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
35 notable people were born here, including Dot Jones and Talitha Bateman.
