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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-SAN-JOAQUIN-CA · San Joaquin, CA 3,734 pop · income 22nd 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 San Joaquin
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest San Joaquin on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Punta Santiag… · lowest
25,827
Punta Santiag… · lowest
25,827 median HH income
13.3% of the leader · rank #1
Smiths Grove · near
51,583
Smiths Grove · near
51,583 median HH income
26.6% of the leader · rank #2
Pineville · near
51,583
Pineville · near
51,583 median HH income
26.6% of the leader · rank #3
San Joaquin · this city
51,591
San Joaquin · this city
51,591 median HH income
26.6% of the leader · rank #4
Amory · near
51,592
Amory · near
51,592 median HH income
26.6% of the leader · rank #5
Duncan · near
51,596
Duncan · near
51,596 median HH income
26.6% of the leader · rank #6
Cambrian Park · highest
193,933
Cambrian Park · highest
193,933 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
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for San Joaquin on ACS population and median household income
. 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: 3,734.
Nationally, San Joaquin sits in the 22nd percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.
22nd
percentile, household income
56th
percentile, home value
88th
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 Joaquin, CA
San Joaquin is a small town in California, home to 3,734 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in San Joaquin report a median income of $51,591 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 35.8%. Typical homes in San Joaquin are valued around $249,700, and the median resident age is 24.9 years. 2.5% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 39.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 0 residential units were authorized in 2024 (No Permits).
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 $2,053 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in California run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. 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 San Joaquin'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 population change to housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For San Joaquin, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, annual population history, commute-mode shares, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Is San Joaquin growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -61 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 0 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.
How far does income reach against housing in San Joaquin?
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 4.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 35.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What does the journey to work look like in San Joaquin?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.7%. 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for San Joaquin?
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.
Within California, the closest population matches are Esparto (3,744 residents, $104,706 income); Angels (3,721 residents, $60,353 income); Felton (3,721 residents, $117,375 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Melwood, MD (3,734 residents); Honea Path, SC (3,734 residents); Sixteen Mile Stand, OH (3,735 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.
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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for San Joaquin?
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.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 2.5% 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
35.8%
Bachelor's degree+
2.5%
Matched public schools
1
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Low income · poverty 35.8% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
F
City profile score · San Joaquin, CA
8/100
4 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.
Household income F
$51,591
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
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.
Poverty rate F
35.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
2.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
San Joaquin profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 22/100 (F) · $51,591
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Poverty rate: 0/100 (F) · 35.8%
Bachelor's+ share: 0/100 (F) · 2.5%
How does San Joaquin compare to other US cities?
San Joaquin measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income22% higher than other cities
Home value56% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% 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 Joaquin 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 San Joaquin near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, San Joaquin ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares San Joaquin only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,168 of 1,338
13th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#1,160 of 1,343
14th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#56 of 1,450
96th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,391 of 1,458
4th 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
22nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How San Joaquin's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$249,70044th percentilemore affordable than 44% 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
San Joaquin's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,615 of 15,516
More affordable than 19% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,588 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 4.8×, San Joaquin sits in the moderate band:
national rank #12,615 of 15,516 and #9,588 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$51,591San Joaquin, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context San Joaquin, 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 San Joaquin, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)2.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)35.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)39.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
3,734
Median Income
$51,591
Median Home Value
$249,700
Median Age
24.9
Poverty Rate
35.8%
Labor force participation
39.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
2.5%
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
San Joaquin's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
3,749 residents
2021
3,737 residents
2022
3,715 residents
2023
3,710 residents
2024
3,715 residents
2025
3,688 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
8
8
0
$1.3M
2021
13
13
0
$2.0M
2022
0
0
0
-
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
0
0
0
-
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
75.7%
Carpool
11.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.3%
Work from Home
9.2%
Other
2.2%
Based on 898 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 San Joaquin. 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 San Joaquin 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 San Joaquin sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How San Joaquin 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, 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.