Population
132 residents
Census ACS 2023 - California
City profile · California · Census ACS 2023
Big Bend, CA
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Big Bend - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 132
- Residents
- $28,958
- Median income
- $1,590
- Median rent (state)
Big Bend - the verdict
Big Bend ranks in the 2nd percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 2nd
- percentile, household income
- 63rd
- percentile, median rent
📝 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: Big Bend, CA
132 people live in Big Bend, California - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Big Bend brings in $28,958 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. The median resident age is 49.5 years. Educational attainment runs 14.9% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 20.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
California carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, California scores 110.7 (Well Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,590 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in California run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 93.4 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
Median Household Income
$28,958 /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, California average
How does Big Bend compare to other US cities?
Here's how Big Bend stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 2% higher than other cities
Median rent 63% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Big Bend against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Poverty Rate places Big Bend near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,450 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Big Bend ranks #1,194 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Big Bend only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,324 of 1,338
1st percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1,002 of 1,458
30th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#1,194 of 1,450
0th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,051 of 1,458
28th percentile in California
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.
2nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 14.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 20.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
132
Median Income
$28,958
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
49.5
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
20.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
14.9%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
55.0%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
35.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Other
10.0%
Based on 20 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for California - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$150
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$70
avg/month
Total Utilities
$275
estimated/month
Estimates reflect California state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a California state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Big Bend sits in
Cost of Living Index
110.7
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,590/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
93.4 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in California
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Big Bend's 132 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Big Bend's $28,958 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Big Bend compares to nearby California cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Big Bend (this city) | 132 | $28,958 |
| Mount Hebron | 131 | $80,250 |
| Moskowite Corner | 136 | $141,736 |
| Mettler | 137 | $87,875 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Big Bend, CA?
What is the population of Big Bend, CA? +
The population of Big Bend, CA stands at 132 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Big Bend, CA? +
Big Bend households earn a median of $28,958 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Big Bend? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Big Bend; the closest available measure is the California state average, a cost of living index of 110.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within California vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.