Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Yuba City earns a D, ranked 643rd of 841 in California, mostly because of safety. Its police reported 273 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 78% of U.S. towns. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 72% of U.S. towns. Yuba City’s July high is 96°F, above both the California town median (89°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). On hazard risk, just 24 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. Yuba City's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Yuba City beats most towns.
Charlotte StewartEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Yuba City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1849, comes before those of 94% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 562 in 1890, 70,117 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 3 maps from 1911 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Yuba City, 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 Yuba City.
Yuba City carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), fares better on crime within California than nationally and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
On the market in Yuba City: a median 30 days to sell. For Yuba City, the midpoint rent is $1,454 a month. In Yuba City, 57% of households live in a home they own.
| Yuba City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,454 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The public schools here belong to the Yuba City Unified school district. Three of its 26 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. 6 public schools serve Yuba City, with 4,615 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andros KarperosLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 1,181 | C+ |
| River Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,695 | B |
| Twin Rivers CharterTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 519 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
At 33.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 63% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 1,662 to 1,283 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The level of property crime for Yuba City comes to 14.7 per 1,000 residents. Yuba City’s violent crime rate is 4 per 1,000 residents.
| Yuba City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.7 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Feather River Parkway, at 162 acres with 4.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 11 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The concentration of trails in Yuba City is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Yuba City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Feather River Parkway | 4.9 mi | 162 |
| 2. Regency Park | 0.5 mi | 6 |
| 3. Happy Park | 0.1 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Colusa 2 Ssw weather station, 21 miles away, records that about 85 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 96.4°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.5°.
Snowfall is close to zero. Yuba City’s January low stands at 40°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among workers in Yuba City, 6.9% do their job from home. In Yuba City, about one in four working residents works in town. Since 2013, Yuba City has added 2,413 jobs, to 20,664 in 2023. The top destinations are Sacramento (7%), Marysville (6%) and Roseville (3%).
| Yuba City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Work from home | 6.9% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 97% of California towns, with expected losses of about $145 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
Expected losses in Yuba City break down as 49% from inland flooding and 43% from earthquakes. The national flood insurance program has paid 4 claims here since 1986. Federal aid has come to Yuba City households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For adults in Yuba City, the share who feel lonely is 38%. The share of adults in Yuba City who had a checkup this year: 71%.
| Yuba City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Yuba City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 6.9% | 5.1% |
| More smokers | 14.3% | 10.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.8% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Yuba City
About 8 of every 100 Yuba City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
25 notable people were born in Yuba City.
City in California, United States
Yuba City (Maidu: Yubu) is a city in and the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 70,117 at the 2020 census. Yuba City is the principal city of the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Sutter County and Yuba County. The metro area's population is 164,138. It is the 21st largest metropolitan area in California, ranked behind Redding and Chico. Its metropolitan statistical area is part of the Greater Sacramento CSA.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yuba City grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #643 of 841 in California. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 5.6 years of the area's median household income ($78,179 across the Yuba City, CA metro 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.
25 notable people were born here, including Charlotte Stewart and Adrian Molina.
