Modesto, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Modesto.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Modesto compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 218,614City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $77,899Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 128ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)28% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $415,600City limits (ACS)37% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,609City limits (ACS)19% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 6.4%County LAUS · not city-only2.2 pts above U.S. avgU.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 28 min12% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 44Near U.S. avg (45)U.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 811.9annualized per 100k · citywide35% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 3317.1annualized per 100k · citywide8% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 93°F6.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 40°F6.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 12.3 in63% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 31217% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Modesto with another city
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 312 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Average one-way commute time is about 28 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 44/100. Unemployment near 6.4% is elevated versus many peer cities, so industry mix matters more in a move decision. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~811.9 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
About 218,614 people live in Modesto, CA. With median income around $77,899 and a cost index of 128, the market reads above the national housing-cost baseline. Entry home prices around $415,600 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Modesto is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Modesto with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Modesto city, 1600000US0648354)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060990000000003 (Stanislaus County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00023258 MODESTO CITY CO AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28