City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Hollister, CA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Hollister - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

43,003
Residents
$101,979
Median income
$679,300
Median home
$2,902
Median rent (state)

Hollister - the verdict

Hollister ranks in the 79th percentile for household income and the 57th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

79th
percentile, household income
92nd
percentile, home value
96th
percentile, median rent
57th
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: Hollister, CA

43,003 people live in Hollister, California - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $101,979 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 7.6%. Typical homes in Hollister are valued around $679,300, and the median resident age is 33.6 years. Educational attainment runs 17.8% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 63.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 118 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 72% from five years earlier. Hollister reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1163.8 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 58.6°F with 13.7 inches of precipitation per year and 0.1 inches of snowfall.

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. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,902 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across California, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 85.2 out of 100 (Very High).

Population

43,003 residents

Census ACS 2023 - California

Median Household Income

$101,979 /yr

Poverty 7.6%

Cost of Living Index (state)

110.7 (US=100)

Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, California average

How does Hollister compare to other US cities?

Here's how Hollister stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 79% higher than other cities
Home value 92% pricier than other cities
Median rent 96% pricier than other cities
Safety 57% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to California alone, Hollister ranks #90 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Hollister's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in California, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

79thIncome percentile
57thSafety percentile

79th percentile nationally for median household income · 57th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Hollister's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Hollister'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. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 47 Avg. percentile National median
Hollister'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 Hollister's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$679,300 8th percentile more affordable than 8% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). This entry sits in this band. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Hollister $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Hollister, CA Hollister, CA's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Hollister, CA-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Hollister, CA median $101,979/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Hollister, CA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Hollister, CA. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 17.8%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 7.6%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 63.4%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
43,003
Median Income
$101,979
Median Home Value
$679,300
Median Age
33.6
Poverty Rate
7.6%
Labor force participation
63.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.8%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1163.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
333.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
830.7
per 100,000 residents

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.

Climate

Avg Temperature
58.6°F
Annual Precipitation
13.7"
Annual Snowfall
0.1"

Schools

Total Schools
18
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
40,000 residents42,000 residents44,000 residents46,000 residents48,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 41,863 residents 45,695 residents ▲ +9.2%
Hollister's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
118
housing units authorized
Single-Family
118
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.7
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 422
2020 322
2021 396
2022 229
2023 213
2024 118

Permit volume decreased 72% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
74.9%
Carpool
14.2%
Public Transit
1.0%
Walk
0.5%
Work from Home
7.9%
Other
1.5%

Based on 19,749 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 Hollister sits in

Cost of Living Index
110.7
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,902/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
85.2 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in California

Campbell
42,848 people
Vineyard
42,645 people
San Bruno
42,612 people
Coachella
42,594 people
Danville
43,426 people
French Valley
42,550 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Hollister's 43,003 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Sumter, SC
43,065 people
Woonsocket, RI
43,074 people
North Miami Beach, FL
43,104 people
Schertz, TX
43,128 people
Delaware, OH
43,168 people
Buffalo Grove, IL
42,824 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Hollister's $101,979 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Hebron, KY
$101,980 median income
Atco, NJ
$101,976 median income
Highland Park, NJ
$101,991 median income
Elberfeld, IN
$101,964 median income
Quogue, NY
$101,964 median income
Hot Springs, VA
$101,964 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Hollister, CA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Hollister, CA - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 39.1% 16.6% 37.1% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 69.7% White 39.1% Black or African American 1.4% Asian 3.9% American Indian 1.7% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 16.6% Two or more races 37.1% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Hollister 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
Hollister (this city) 43,003 $101,979
Campbell 42,848 $147,128
Vineyard 42,645 $108,403
San Bruno 42,612 $135,976
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA FBI UCR NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Hollister, CA?

What is the population of Hollister, CA? +

Hollister, CA counts 43,003 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Hollister, CA? +

Median annual household income in Hollister runs $101,979, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Hollister? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Hollister; 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.

Is Hollister, CA safe? +

Hollister has a total crime rate of 1163.8 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Hollister, CA? +

A typical home in Hollister is worth $679,300, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the climate like in Hollister? +

Hollister has an average annual temperature of 58.6°F, 13.7 inches of precipitation, and 0.1 inches of snowfall per year. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.

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 PlainCities Editorial

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Every 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.