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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-FERNDALE-CA · Ferndale, CA 1,525 pop · income 38th 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 Ferndale
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Ferndale on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Mound Bayou · lowest
23,194
Mound Bayou · lowest
23,194 median HH income
9.5% of the leader · rank #1
Nuiqsut · near
62,083
Nuiqsut · near
62,083 median HH income
25.4% of the leader · rank #2
Shishmaref · near
62,083
Shishmaref · near
62,083 median HH income
25.4% of the leader · rank #3
Ferndale · this city
62,090
Ferndale · this city
62,090 median HH income
25.4% of the leader · rank #4
Central · near
62,094
Central · near
62,094 median HH income
25.4% of the leader · rank #5
Ferrysburg · near
62,096
Ferrysburg · near
62,096 median HH income
25.4% of the leader · rank #6
Lake Sherwood · highest
244,239
Lake Sherwood · highest
244,239 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 Ferndale 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: 1,525.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Ferndale - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Ferndale places in the 38th percentile for household income and the 58th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
38th
percentile, household income
85th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
58th
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: Ferndale, CA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 1,525 residents in Ferndale, a small town within California. Median household income here is $62,090 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 5.2%. Home values in Ferndale run a median of $496,000, and the median resident age is 58.8 years. Educational attainment runs 26.4% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 39.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 6 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 50% from five years earlier. Ferndale reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1154.4 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,053 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across California, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Ferndale'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 schools and households to reported crime to population change to housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Ferndale, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, 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 does the education layer cover for Ferndale?
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 26.4% 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.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Ferndale?
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.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1154.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 49% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Is Ferndale growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -51 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -3.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 6 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for Ferndale?
Within California, the closest population matches are Los Ranchos (1,521 residents, $146,667 income); Dunsmuir (1,519 residents, $47,708 income); Ahwahnee (1,532 residents, $65,980 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Tome, NM (1,525 residents); Tioga, ND (1,525 residents); Harristown, IL (1,526 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.
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.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Ferndale?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 8.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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.
Household income
$62,090
Home value
$496,000
Value / income
8.0×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in Ferndale?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 80.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
14.0%
Drive alone
80.9%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 530 workers age 16+.
Below median income · poverty 5.2% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
F
City profile score · Ferndale, CA
36/100
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.
Poverty rate C+
5.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C-
26.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$62,090
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
361 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
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.
Ferndale profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 64/100 (C+) · 5.2%
Bachelor's+ share: 52/100 (C-) · 26.4%
Household income: 38/100 (F) · $62,090
Violent crime: 25/100 (F) · 361 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Ferndale sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Ferndale'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 - Ferndale highlighted among 23 peers.Read the chart values
Ferndale, CA (this city): home $496,000, crime 1,154/100k
Tioga, ND : home $196,800, crime 922/100k
Dunsmuir, CA : home $262,800, crime 1,171/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Ferndale compare to other US cities?
Here's how Ferndale stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income38% higher than other cities
Home value85% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety58% 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: Ferndale ranks #88 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 Ferndale 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 Ferndale near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Ferndale ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Ferndale only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,024 of 1,338
23rd percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#701 of 1,343
48th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#825 of 1,450
43rd percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#713 of 1,458
51st 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
38th percentile nationally for median household income · 58th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Ferndale's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Ferndale'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 Ferndale's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$496,00015th percentilemore affordable than 15% 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
Ferndale's home-value-to-income ratio: 8.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,005 of 15,516
More affordable than 3% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#11,009 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 8.0×, Ferndale sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,005 of 15,516 and #11,009 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
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
$62,090Ferndale, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Ferndale, 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 Ferndale, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)26.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)39.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,525
Median Income
$62,090
Median Home Value
$496,000
Median Age
58.8
Poverty Rate
5.2%
Labor force participation
39.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
26.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1154.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
360.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
793.7
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
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Ferndale's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,399 residents
2021
1,399 residents
2022
1,395 residents
2023
1,381 residents
2024
1,361 residents
2025
1,348 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
6
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
3
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
4
4
0
$1.1M
2020
3
3
0
$0.8M
2021
4
4
0
$0.9M
2022
5
5
0
$1.0M
2023
1
1
0
$0.6M
2024
6
3
3
$1.1M
Permit volume increased 50% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
80.9%
Carpool
1.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.5%
Work from Home
14.0%
Other
0.7%
Based on 530 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 Ferndale. 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 Ferndale 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 Ferndale sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Ferndale 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.