City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

San Ardo, CA

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

481
Residents
$420,300
Median home
$2,684
Median rent (state)

San Ardo - the verdict

San Ardo has 481 residents in California. Source: Census ACS.

79th
percentile, home value
94th
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: San Ardo, CA

481 people live in San Ardo, California - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Home values in San Ardo run a median of $420,300, and the median resident age is 25.3 years. 0.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 56.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The city is served by 1 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.

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). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,684 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across California, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in San Ardo report an average commute of 21.7 minutes, with 100.0% driving alone and 0.0% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 98.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).

Population

481 residents

Census ACS 2023 - California

Median Household Income

N/A /yr

Poverty 35.0%

Cost of Living Index (state)

110.7 (US=100)

Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, California average

How does San Ardo compare to other US cities?

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

Home value 79% pricier than other cities
Median rent 94% 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 San Ardo against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

California-relative analysis

Bachelor's Degree or Higher places San Ardo near the bottom of California's cities

Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported bachelor's degree or higher data, San Ardo ranks #1,411 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares San Ardo only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Gross Rent
#500 of 1,458
65th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#836 of 1,343
38th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#61 of 1,450
96th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,411 of 1,458
0th 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.

How San Ardo's home value compares nationally

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

$420,300 21st percentile more affordable than 21% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $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. San Ardo $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

Median household income is not available for San Ardo in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 0.0%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 35.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 56.5%

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

Population
481
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
$420,300
Median Age
25.3
Poverty Rate
35.0%
Labor force participation
56.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
0.0%

Schools

Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
21.7 minutes
Drive Alone
100.0%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%

Based on 169 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 San Ardo sits in

Cost of Living Index
110.7
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,684/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
98.7 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in California

Springville
481 people
Baker
482 people
Nipinnawasee
482 people
Pescadero
478 people
Lockwood CDP (Amador County)
487 people
Proberta
475 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to San Ardo's 481 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Diagonal, IA
481 people
Boothville, LA
481 people
Cochiti, NM
481 people
Newport, NY
481 people
Pin Oak Acres, OK
481 people
Johnson City, OR
481 people

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - San Ardo, 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 San Ardo, CA - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 53.8% 43.5% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 86.1% White 53.8% Black or African American 0.0% Asian 0.0% American Indian 0.0% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 43.5% Two or more races 2.7% 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 San Ardo 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
San Ardo (this city) 481 N/A
Springville 481 $141,635
Baker 482 N/A
Nipinnawasee 482 $74,488
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about San Ardo, CA?

What is the population of San Ardo, CA? +

San Ardo, CA counts 481 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the cost of living in San Ardo? +

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

What is the median home value in San Ardo, CA? +

A typical home in San Ardo is worth $420,300, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, 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

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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.