Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,760, settled in 1860.
Willits grades D− overall, 744th of 841 graded towns in California, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $63K, and 10% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. 40% of working residents work locally in Willits, above both California’s towns (6.6%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 27 of California’s 463 towns score higher on civic life. Willits has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Willits Depot and Larsen Family House.
Where Willits beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Willits is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 431 in 1860, a low of 153 in 1880, 4,988 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 4 maps from 1922 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Willits, 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 Willits.
Willits has home values still below their peak, has commutes shorter than most of California and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of California.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Willits, 57% come from inland flooding and 39% from earthquakes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 98% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Willits after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The largest public high school is Willits High, with 397 students. The Willits Unified school district runs its public schools. Of its 7 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookside ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–2 | Grades K–2 | 350 | – |
| Willits HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 397 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The typical value, about $338K, is 33% below its February 2022 peak. At about $338K, home values are down 33% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
Willits’ going rate for rent is $1,197 a month. Values fell 6.4% in the year to September 2026. Among households here, 41% own their home.
| Willits | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 41% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,197 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In Willits, the density of trails is 1.0 miles per square mile. 2.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Willits | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Recreation Grove Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Fairgrounds | — | 5 |
| 3. Willits City Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among adults in Willits, 20% report frequent mental distress and 27% say their health is fair or poor. For adults here, the share who worry about having enough food is 22%.
| Willits | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Willits | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 5.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.9% | 10.6% |
| More smokers | 17% | 10.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 36.3°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 77% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 87.6°.
Snow is a rarity. Willits’ January low comes in at 36°F.
| Willits | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 36°F | 41°F | 22°F |
| July high | 88°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Willits’ violent crime rate stands at 5.4 per 1,000 residents. Among 437 California towns, just 8 have a lower property crime rate than Willits. Within California, it does better than nearly two thirds of towns.
| Willits | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 1,658 working residents takes 14 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
The typical journey to work in Willits is 14 minutes. The town had 2,400 jobs in 2023, up 143 from 2013. The top destinations are Ukiah (13%), Santa Rosa (2%) and Fort Bragg (2%). Half of commuters travel less than 16 miles.
| Willits | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Willits; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Willits residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
4 places in Willits on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Willits.
City in California, United States
Willits (formerly Little Lake and Willitsville) is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located about 20 miles (32 km) north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 1,391 feet (424 m). The population was 4,988 at the 2020 census. Willits is at the center of Mendocino County and at the beginning of the county's extensive redwood forests as approached by Highway 101 from the south. An arch stands in the center of Willits featuring the slogans "Gateway to the Redwoods" and "Heart of Mendocino County". The arch is the repurposed second version of the Reno Arch. Reno donated the arch to Willits in 1995.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Willits.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willits | #744 | D− | D | C+ | C | C− |
| Brooktrails | #655 | D | D | — | C | B+ |
Brooktrails reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Willits with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Willits grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #744 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 65% of towns.
Yes. That is 5 years of the area's median household income ($68,092 across the Ukiah, CA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
6 notable people were born here, including Edith Ceccarelli and Eli Erlick.
