City profile · Pennsylvania · Census ACS 2023

California, PA

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

5,046
Residents
$49,500
Median income
$142,600
Median home
$1,225
Median rent

Data Snapshot: California, PA

California is a city in Pennsylvania with a population of 5,046 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $49,500 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 12.0%. Typical homes in California are valued around $142,600, and the median resident age is 21.4 years. About 29.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 53.0% 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). FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1577.3 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Pennsylvania registers 97.6 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,225 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $260 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 67.4 out of 100 (Moderate).

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

5,046 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Pennsylvania

Median Household Income

$49,500 /yr

Poverty 12.0%

Cost of Living Index

97.6 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does California compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 19% higher than other cities
Home value 24% pricier than other cities
Median rent 54% pricier than other cities
Safety 43% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare California 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 — California, PA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for California, PA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution California, PA — median $49,500/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 California, PA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 29.6%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 12.0%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 53.0%

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

Population
5,046
Median Income
$49,500
Median Home Value
$142,600
Median Age
21.4
Poverty Rate
12.0%
Labor force participation
53.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
29.6%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1577.3
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
404.4
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
1172.9
per 1,000 residents

Housing Supply

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
2019 0
2020 0
2021 0
2022 2
2023 1
2024 0

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
59.8%
Carpool
8.2%
Public Transit
2.2%
Walk
15.2%
Work from Home
14.3%

Based on 2,315 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Pennsylvania — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$120
avg/month
Natural Gas
$88
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$52
avg/month
Total Utilities
$260
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Pennsylvania state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

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

Cost of Living Index
97.6
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,225/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
67.4 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — California, PA 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 California, PA — 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 California compares to nearby Pennsylvania cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

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

PA

California

49.50% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$49,500
Brackets
5
Selected

PA

Turtle Creek

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$500
Brackets
5
Selected

PA

Duryea

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$510
Brackets
5
Selected

PA

Clarks Summit

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$510
Brackets
5
Census ACS 5-year FIPS PA FBI UCR Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about California, PA?

What is the population of California, PA? +

California, PA has a population of 5,046 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in California, PA? +

The median household income in California is $49,500 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in California? +

California has a cost of living index of 97.6 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is California, PA safe? +

California has a total crime rate of 1577.3 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in California, PA? +

The median home value in California is $142,600, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, 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.

Related

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

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