Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waterford grades C− overall, ranked 505th of 841 in California, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $426K, 5.2 years of the Modesto metro’s $81K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 71% of the country. Waterford’s July high is 95°F, above both the California town median (89°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Waterford's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. Waterford is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns.
Where Waterford beats most towns.
Where Waterford’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Waterford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 63 in 1880, 9,120 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 3 maps from 1916 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waterford, 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 Waterford.
Waterford fares better on crime within California than nationally, has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Modesto and beyond.
56% of households own their home in Waterford. The typical Waterford home is worth about $426,000, up 0.5% in a year, 44% below the California typical home. Waterford’s median rent is $1,620 a month.
| Waterford | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,620 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Waterford Unified school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Connecting Waters Charter, with 776 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard M. Moon PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 510 | C− |
| Connecting Waters CharterLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 776 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Waterford has 865 jobs for its 3,803 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 616 in 2013 to 865.
Most working residents leave Waterford for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Waterford has added 249 jobs, to 865 in 2023. 14% of Waterford residents live below the poverty line.
| Waterford | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Waterford beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Waterford | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Waterford | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.8% | 10.6% |
| More smokers | 14.8% | 10.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 14.3% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Waterford | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waterford City Park | — | 12 |
| 2. Goldmine Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 95.3°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.9°.
Waterford has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The January low in Waterford is 39°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 14.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 87% of California’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 16 reported in 2025, 1.7 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2 within 15 miles of the center of Waterford
About 7 of every 100 Waterford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
City in California, United States
Waterford is the eighth largest city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. The population was 9,120 at the 2020 census, up from 8,456 as of the 2010 census. Waterford is part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waterford grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #505 of 841 in California. It grades C for health, B 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.