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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-ST-HELENA-CA · St. Helena, CA 5,378 pop · income 95th 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 St. Helena
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest St. Helena on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Centerville · lowest
41,472
Centerville · lowest
41,472 median HH income
26.2% of the leader · rank #1
Goldsmith · near
158,125
Goldsmith · near
158,125 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #2
Sharon · near
158,146
Sharon · near
158,146 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #3
St. Helena · this city
158,218
St. Helena · this city
158,218 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #4
Water Mill · near
158,250
Water Mill · near
158,250 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #5
Brandywine · near
158,258
Brandywine · near
158,258 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
Shady Shores · highest
158,333
Shady Shores · highest
158,333 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 St. Helena 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: 5,378.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
St. Helena - the verdict
St. Helena ranks in the 95th percentile for household income and the 67th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
95th
percentile, household income
99th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
67th
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: St. Helena, CA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 5,378 residents in St. Helena, a small town within California. St. Helena households earn a median of $158,218 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 7.0%. St. Helena's housing stock carries a median value of $1,964,300, and the median resident age is 47.6 years. About 58.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 16 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 167% from five years earlier. St. Helena reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 918.8 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
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. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,053 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across California, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. 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 St. Helena'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 work and mobility to schools and households to population change to comparison shortlist to housing and income to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For St. Helena, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history, matched public-school count, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in St. Helena?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 65.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What does the education layer cover for St. Helena?
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 58.3% 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.
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.
Is St. Helena growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
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.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -227 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -4.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 16 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for St. Helena?
Within California, the closest population matches are Old Fig Garden (5,387 residents, $100,833 income); Boulder Creek (5,353 residents, $106,842 income); Keyes (5,330 residents, $59,338 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Van Alstyne, TX (5,378 residents); Orangetree, FL (5,377 residents); Tice, FL (5,377 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.
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.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in St. Helena?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 12.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 7.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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.
Household income
$158,218
Home value
$1,964,300
Value / income
12.4×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What can the FBI record say about safety in St. Helena?
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.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 918.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 60% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
746.6
Violent rate
172.3
Total reported rate
918.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Top-decile income · poverty 7.0% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
C+
City profile score · St. Helena, CA
61/100
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.
Household income A+
$158,218
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A+
58.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate C-
7.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime C-
172 /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.
St. Helena profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 99/100 (A+) · $158,218
Bachelor's+ share: 91/100 (A+) · 58.3%
Poverty rate: 53/100 (C-) · 7.0%
Violent crime: 53/100 (C-) · 172 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where St. Helena sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
St. Helena'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 - St. Helena highlighted among 25 peers.Read the chart values
St. Helena, CA (this city): home $1,964,300, crime 919/100k
Van Alstyne, TX : home $297,400, crime 744/100k
Centerville, IA : home $99,000, crime 1,315/100k
Cramerton, NC : home $322,900, crime 1,350/100k
Ione, CA : home $448,300, crime 705/100k
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 St. Helena compare to other US cities?
Where St. Helena sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income95% higher than other cities
Home value99% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety67% 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, St. Helena ranks #46 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
Each percentile compares St. Helena 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 St. Helena near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, St. Helena ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares St. Helena only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#150 of 1,338
89th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#64 of 1,343
95th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#684 of 1,450
52nd percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#192 of 1,458
87th 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
95th percentile nationally for median household income · 67th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
St. Helena's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
St. Helena'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 St. Helena's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$1,964,3001st percentilemore affordable than 1% 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
St. Helena's home-value-to-income ratio: 12.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,464 of 15,516
More affordable than 0% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#11,288 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 12.4×, St. Helena sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,464 of 15,516 and #11,288 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
$158,218St. Helena, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context St. Helena, 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 St. Helena, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)58.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)7.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)59.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,378
Median Income
$158,218
Median Home Value
$1,964,300
Median Age
47.6
Poverty Rate
7.0%
Labor force participation
59.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
58.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
918.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
172.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
746.6
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
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
St. Helena's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
5,421 residents
2021
5,373 residents
2022
5,300 residents
2023
5,284 residents
2024
5,243 residents
2025
5,194 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
16
housing units authorized
Single-Family
16
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
6
6
0
$1.3M
2020
5
5
0
$8.5M
2021
1
1
0
$1.0M
2022
3
3
0
$4.3M
2023
3
3
0
$3.3M
2024
16
16
0
$27.6M
Permit volume increased 167% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
65.0%
Carpool
3.0%
Public Transit
1.6%
Walk
10.9%
Work from Home
18.0%
Other
1.5%
Based on 2,648 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 St. Helena. 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 St. Helena 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 St. Helena sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How St. Helena 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.