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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-MAMMOTH-LAKES-CA · Mammoth Lakes, CA 7,233 pop · income 68th pct · 4 tracts
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 Mammoth Lakes
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Mammoth Lakes on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Arroyo zona u… · lowest
17,034
Arroyo zona u… · lowest
17,034 median HH income
9.8% of the leader · rank #1
East Dundee · near
87,102
East Dundee · near
87,102 median HH income
50.3% of the leader · rank #2
Marion · near
87,105
Marion · near
87,105 median HH income
50.3% of the leader · rank #3
Mammoth Lakes · this city
87,121
Mammoth Lakes · this city
87,121 median HH income
50.4% of the leader · rank #4
Altoona · near
87,123
Altoona · near
87,123 median HH income
50.4% of the leader · rank #5
Brook Highland · near
87,143
Brook Highland · near
87,143 median HH income
50.4% of the leader · rank #6
Sausalito · highest
173,030
Sausalito · highest
173,030 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 Mammoth Lakes 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: 7,233.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Mammoth Lakes - the verdict
Mammoth Lakes ranks in the 68th percentile for household income and the 41st percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
68th
percentile, household income
91st
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
41st
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: Mammoth Lakes, CA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 7,233 residents in Mammoth Lakes, a small town within California. Median household income here is $87,121 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.4%. Home values in Mammoth Lakes run a median of $657,000, and the median resident age is 37.7 years. 26.9% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 80.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 100 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 150% from five years earlier. Mammoth Lakes reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1659.5 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures 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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,053 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 88.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Mammoth Lakes'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 population change to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to schools and households to housing and income to within-city variation; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Mammoth Lakes, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, annual population history, within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What can the FBI record say about safety in Mammoth Lakes?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1659.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 27% lower 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.
Is Mammoth Lakes growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -366 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -5.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 100 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Mammoth Lakes?
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 Taft (7,228 residents, $64,479 income); Ladera Heights (7,249 residents, $153,403 income); San Martin (7,199 residents, $156,292 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Tolleson, AZ (7,233 residents); Mansfield Center, MA (7,232 residents); Arroyo zona urbana, PR (7,234 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.
What can 4 Census tracts reveal inside Mammoth Lakes?
PlainCities matches 4 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Mammoth Lakes?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 71.8%. 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.
Drive alone
71.8%
Work from home
12.8%
Public transit
1.4%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 4,697 workers age 16+.
What does the education layer cover for Mammoth Lakes?
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 5 public schools within the city match. 26.9% 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.
Poverty estimate
4.4%
Bachelor's degree+
26.9%
Matched public schools
5
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
How far does income reach against housing in Mammoth Lakes?
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 7.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
7.5×
Home value
$657,000
Household income
$87,121
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Above median income · poverty 4.4% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
D
City profile score · Mammoth Lakes, CA
42/100
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 B-
4.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income B-
$87,121
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share C-
26.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
516 /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.
Mammoth Lakes profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 69/100 (B-) · 4.4%
Household income: 66/100 (B-) · $87,121
Bachelor's+ share: 53/100 (C-) · 26.9%
Violent crime: 15/100 (F) · 516 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Mammoth Lakes sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Mammoth Lakes'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 - Mammoth Lakes highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Mammoth Lakes, CA (this city): home $657,000, crime 1,660/100k
Tolleson, AZ : home $287,000, crime 10,167/100k
Globe, AZ : home $214,800, crime 6,219/100k
Greenville, AL : home $117,800, crime 4,420/100k
Basehor, KS : home $314,100, crime 738/100k
Taft, CA : home $246,400, crime 3,176/100k
Sausalito, CA : home $1,858,900, crime 1,814/100k
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 Mammoth Lakes compare to other US cities?
Mammoth Lakes measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income68% higher than other cities
Home value91% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety41% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at California, Mammoth Lakes ranks #175 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Mammoth Lakes 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 Mammoth Lakes near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Mammoth Lakes ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Mammoth Lakes only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#670 of 1,338
50th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#495 of 1,343
63rd percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#902 of 1,450
37th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#693 of 1,458
52nd 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
68th percentile nationally for median household income · 41st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Mammoth Lakes's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Mammoth Lakes'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 Mammoth Lakes's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$657,0009th percentilemore affordable than 9% 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
Mammoth Lakes's home-value-to-income ratio: 7.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,890 of 15,516
More affordable than 4% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,932 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 7.5×, Mammoth Lakes sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,890 of 15,516 and #10,932 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
$87,121Mammoth Lakes, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Mammoth Lakes, 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 Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)26.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)80.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
7,233
Median Income
$87,121
Median Home Value
$657,000
Median Age
37.7
Poverty Rate
4.4%
Labor force participation
80.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
26.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1659.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
516.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1143.5
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
5
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Mammoth Lakes's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
7,233 residents
2021
7,277 residents
2022
7,128 residents
2023
7,175 residents
2024
6,959 residents
2025
6,867 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
100
housing units authorized
Single-Family
24
detached homes
Multifamily
76
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
13.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
40
32
8
$11.0M
2020
51
51
0
$19.6M
2021
37
37
0
$13.1M
2022
118
33
85
$28.3M
2023
16
10
6
$9.1M
2024
100
24
76
$25.6M
Permit volume increased 150% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
71.8%
Carpool
5.3%
Public Transit
1.4%
Walk
4.3%
Work from Home
12.8%
Other
4.4%
Based on 4,697 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 Mammoth Lakes. 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 Mammoth Lakes 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 Mammoth Lakes sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Mammoth Lakes 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.