City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Smith River, CA

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

1,270
Residents
$100,461
Median income
$345,800
Median home
$2,053
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Smith River, CA

Smith River is a city in California with a population of 1,270 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $100,461 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 0.0%. Typical homes in Smith River are valued around $345,800, and the median resident age is 29.4 years. About 5.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 65.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

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

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, California registers 110.7 (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. Average monthly utility bills run around $275 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

1,270 residents

Census ACS 2023 — California

Median Household Income

$100,461 /yr

Poverty 0.0%

Cost of Living Index

110.7 (US=100)

Above Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Smith River compare to other US cities?

Where Smith River sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 78% higher than other cities
Home value 71% pricier than other cities
Median rent 88% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Smith River against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Smith River, CA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Smith River, CA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Smith River, CA — median $100,461/yr — Census ACS quintile shares 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%
Household income distribution for Smith River, CA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 5.5%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 65.8%

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

Population
1,270
Median Income
$100,461
Median Home Value
$345,800
Median Age
29.4
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
65.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
5.5%

Schools

Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
94.0%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
6.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%

Based on 564 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

California state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
110.7
Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,053/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
88.7 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Smith River, 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 Smith River, CA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% 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.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Smith River compares to nearby California cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Smith River) plus the nearest peer cities in California, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

CA

Smith River

100.46% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$100,461
Brackets
1
Selected

CA

Redway

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$130
Brackets
1
Selected

CA

Littlerock

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$130
Brackets
1
Selected

CA

Red Corral

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$130
Brackets
1
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Smith River, CA?

What is the population of Smith River, CA? +

Smith River, CA has a population of 1,270 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Smith River, CA? +

The median household income in Smith River is $100,461 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Smith River? +

Smith River has a cost of living index of 110.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Smith River, CA? +

The median home value in Smith River is $345,800, 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.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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