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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-ATWATER-CA · Atwater, CA 32,013 pop · income 41st pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Atwater
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Atwater on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Great Falls · lowest
63,934
Great Falls · lowest
63,934 median HH income
30.1% of the leader · rank #1
Mechanicsville · near
63,942
Mechanicsville · near
63,942 median HH income
30.1% of the leader · rank #2
Goldthwaite · near
63,942
Goldthwaite · near
63,942 median HH income
30.1% of the leader · rank #3
Atwater · this city
63,945
Atwater · this city
63,945 median HH income
30.1% of the leader · rank #4
Mauricetown · near
63,946
Mauricetown · near
63,946 median HH income
30.1% of the leader · rank #5
Pine Ridge · near
63,949
Pine Ridge · near
63,949 median HH income
30.1% of the leader · rank #6
Needham · highest
212,241
Needham · highest
212,241 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Atwater on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 32,013.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Atwater - the verdict
Atwater ranks in the 41st percentile for household income and the 17th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
41st
percentile, household income
71st
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
17th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Atwater, CA
California's Atwater is a small city, with 32,013 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Atwater brings in $63,945 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 17.9%. Atwater's housing stock carries a median value of $340,600, and the median resident age is 33.9 years. About 13.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 54.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 10 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 233% from five years earlier. Atwater's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 2904.1 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts California at 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,053 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across California, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 88.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Atwater's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to schools and households to population change to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Atwater, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What can the FBI record say about safety in Atwater?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2904.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 27% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
What does the journey to work look like in Atwater?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 80.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Which cities make useful reference points for Atwater?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within California, the closest population matches are Fair Oaks (32,030 residents, $111,332 income); Seaside (31,964 residents, $82,303 income); Beverly Hills (31,955 residents, $127,979 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Cornelius, NC (32,009 residents); North Olmsted, OH (32,031 residents); West Odessa, TX (31,985 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 13 public schools within the city match. 13.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Atwater growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +219 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.7% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 10 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
2020 estimate
31,914
2025 estimate
32,133
Period change
+0.7%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Atwater?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 17.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
5.3×
Home value
$340,600
Household income
$63,945
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Below median income · poverty 17.9% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
F
City profile score · Atwater, CA
18/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income D
$63,945
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
17.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
13.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living F
110.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
710 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Atwater profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 40/100 (D) · $63,945
Poverty rate: 17/100 (F) · 17.9%
Bachelor's+ share: 15/100 (F) · 13.1%
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Violent crime: 5/100 (F) · 710 /100k
Where Atwater sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Atwater's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Atwater highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Atwater, CA (this city): home $340,600, crime 2,904/100k
Cornelius, NC : home $512,400, crime 1,140/100k
North Olmsted, OH : home $202,400, crime 1,062/100k
Juneau, AK : home $432,500, crime 2,607/100k
Needham, MA : home $1,146,000, crime 699/100k
Duluth, GA : home $366,000, crime 1,363/100k
Seaside, CA : home $692,600, crime 1,346/100k
Beverly Hills, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 4,951/100k
San Pablo, CA : home $516,000, crime 3,135/100k
How does Atwater compare to other US cities?
Atwater measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income41% higher than other cities
Home value71% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety17% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just California and the picture shifts: Atwater ranks #353 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Atwater against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Atwater near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Atwater ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Atwater only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,003 of 1,338
25th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#983 of 1,343
27th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#228 of 1,450
84th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,108 of 1,458
24th percentile in California
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
41st percentile nationally for median household income · 17th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Atwater's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Atwater's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Atwater's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$340,60029th percentilemore affordable than 29% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Atwater's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,357 of 15,516
More affordable than 14% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,754 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 5.3×, Atwater sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,357 of 15,516 and #2,754 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$63,945Atwater, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Atwater, CA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Atwater, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)13.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)17.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)54.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
32,013
Median Income
$63,945
Median Home Value
$340,600
Median Age
33.9
Poverty Rate
17.9%
Labor force participation
54.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
13.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2904.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
710.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2193.6
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
13
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Atwater's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
31,914 residents
2021
32,131 residents
2022
32,230 residents
2023
32,170 residents
2024
32,235 residents
2025
32,133 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
10
housing units authorized
Single-Family
10
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
3
3
0
$0.5M
2020
3
3
0
$0.5M
2021
77
77
0
$26.2M
2022
12
12
0
$3.5M
2023
20
20
0
$6.4M
2024
10
10
0
$2.5M
Permit volume increased 233% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
80.5%
Carpool
10.3%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
1.2%
Work from Home
4.3%
Other
3.5%
Based on 12,887 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
California statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across California at $275 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $70 ).
These are California statewide averages, not a meter reading for Atwater. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
California's BEA cost-of-living index is 110.7 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Atwater is $2,053/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to California statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a California statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Atwater sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Atwater compares to similar-size California cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.