Upper Lake’s best subject grade is an A for walkability; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 85 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on hazard risk. The typical home is worth about $309K, 5.1 years of the Clearlake area’s $61K median household income. Only 7 of the 848 California towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Upper Lake. Upper Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestAWalkabilityWeakestD⁻Hazard risk DCost of living CSchools

What makes Upper Lake stand out

Where Upper Lake beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

WalkabilityA

More walkable than 93% of U.S. towns

7.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transit

EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.

Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD⁻

Inland flooding and wildfire at the top

FEMA National Risk Index.

Small town

1,374 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Lakeport · 9 mi Ukiah · 16 mi Clearlake · 20 mi

How Upper Lake grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Upper Lake is from typical.

How grading works

Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD⁻Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11.3 of 20; 3.7% of households have no carAOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →SchoolsCOpen →HealthSutter Lakeside Hospital 4 miles awayCOpen →Jobs & income$110K median household incomeB⁻Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors2 miles of trails; 1% conserved landB⁻Open →HistoryB⁻Open →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.3–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Upper Lake: who provides what

Upper Lake is unincorporated, so Lake County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterUpper Lake County Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesLake CountyLake County provides services here

SchoolsUpper Lake Unified School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereLake County Registrar of VotersLake County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025

ZIP code9548595485 100%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 Upper Lake.

HousingCost of living grade D

Upper Lake’s grade for cost of living is a D

The typical home value in Upper Lake is about $309,000, down 0.7% in a year, 59% below the California typical home.

$309KZillow home value

Typical home value

Upper Lake$309K

California$762K

−0.7%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageUpper Lake’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsDown 0.7% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 2.8 years of income RentsRents

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

SchoolsC

Upper Lake’s schools rank behind 71% of California districts

The largest public high school is Upper Lake High, with 307 students. The Upper Lake Unified school district runs its public schools. Below: Two of its 5 schools, each with why it was picked.

29%of CA districts it outscoresCSchool Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Upper Lake ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5	Grades K–5	429	C⁺
Upper Lake HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	307	C⁺

Full pageUpper Lake’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsUpper Lake Unified Every school5 schools · Upper Lake Elementary Questions“Are Upper Lake’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B⁻

With 1.5 jobs for every working resident, Upper Lake draws in 449 commuters

Only 14% of working residents stay in Upper Lake for work; the rest commute out. The top destinations are Lakeport (12%), Ukiah (10%) and Nice (9%). Jobs in Upper Lake grew by 28 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 495. The median commute is under 13 miles.

14%work in town

	Upper Lake	California towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	14%	6.6%	8%
Average trip to work	26 minutes	28 minutes	25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Upper Lake14%

Lakeport12%

Ukiah10%

Nice9%

Santa Rosa5%

13 mi

median commute distance

495

jobs based in Upper Lake

A job hub

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns

Full pageUpper Lake’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here495 jobs based here · A job hub Where people work14% work in Upper Lake Commute times26 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 13 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D⁻

Natural hazards: very high risk in Upper Lake, mostly inland flooding

In Upper Lake, the risk rating from FEMA is 99 of 100, above both California’s towns (88 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 44% come from inland flooding and 19% from wildfires. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Upper Lake after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2020.

99risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingWildfireAvalanches

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageUpper Lake’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters5 federal disasters · Paid out in Upper Lake Get ready0.5 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

HealthC

Residents of Upper Lake are less healthy than seven in ten U.S. towns

Just over a third of adults have obesity in Upper Lake, where California’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 35%. Upper Lake: a fifth of adults report frequent mental distress.

31%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade

	Upper Lake	California towns	U.S. towns
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	71%	72%	79%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	20%	17%	17%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	16%	14%	14%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	25%	22%	19%

32 measures vs. California

0 better17 too close to call15 worse

What stands out	Upper Lake	CA
More adults with COPD	7.7%	5.1%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	15.8%	10.6%
More smokers	15.6%	10.9%

Sutter Lakeside Hospital

4 mi away · emergency room

1 of 3

care shortages: mental health

Full pageUpper Lake’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby4 miles to an ER · Sutter Lakeside Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than CA on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

Upper Lake has mild winters and hot summers

July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 34° and snow is almost unheard of.

93°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter35–56°

Spring41–69°

Summer53–90°

Fall44–75°

Nov 6

typical first frost

Apr 8

typical last frost

+1.0°

vs. the 20th-century average

93°

typical summer high

Full pageUpper Lake’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 93°, January lows 34°Rain & snow38″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard of Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.0° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsB⁻

Open space protected for good: 1.1% of Upper Lake

1.8 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. Parks and preserves in Upper Lake: one, of 8 acres.

1.1%conserved

	Upper Lake	California towns	U.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile	1.1 miles per square mile	1.0	0.4
Conserved land	1.1%	4.3%	4.3%

1.1%

conserved · 12 of 1,096 acres

1.8 mi

of trails · 1.1 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Upper Lake County Park	0.1 mi	8

Full pageUpper Lake’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map1.8 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk0.1 miles of trail · Upper Lake County Park Conserved land1.1% conserved · 12 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Upper Lake?”

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Upper Lake

17pages on Upper Lake

The big questions

SchoolsCBehind 71% of CA districts · 5 schools HealthCBetter than CA on 0 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingD$309K typical home · down 0.7% in a year Work & commuteB⁻$110K median household income · 495 jobs here Natural hazardsD⁻FEMA risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

OutdoorsB⁻2 mi of trails · 1% conserved land PlacesAttractions22 nearby · Clear Lake 8 mi LibraryUpper Lake Library CollegesDHARMA REALM BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY is 13.7 mi away

The story

HistoryB⁻Settled 1875 Climate93° summer highs

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Upper Lake

DHARMA REALM BUDDHIST UNIVERSITYUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ukiah13.7 mi

About 5 of every 100 Upper Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A job hub

Every workday, about 449 people come to Upper Lake for work

Where Upper Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

495jobs based in Upper Lake

14%of working residents work in town

13 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Questions about Upper Lake

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Upper Lake, 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.

Post to Upper Lake

Check your email

Upper LakeCA

Is Upper Lake a good place to live?