Sierra County, California
Population 2,746 · Loyalton
- Overall cost of living: 0% vs the US average, higher than 90% of US counties.
- Colleges within 30 mi: 0, the lowest in the US.
- Disaster damage per $100k: $666/yr, higher than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈0% | higher than 90% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of California outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $331,900 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,181 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $149/mo | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,698/yr | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.69% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 7.25% | the highest in the US |
| State income tax | 9.3% | the highest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,279 | higher than 71% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $63,355 | lower than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +3.5% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 70 | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈265 days | higher than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 85°F | lower than 63% of US counties |
| January low | 20°F | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈38 in | higher than 78% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Portola, CA, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈22 days | lower than 63% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Portola, CA, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈204 days | higher than 98% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Portola, CA, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 25.7% of weeks | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈35°F | lower than 99% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 25.3 in | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $666/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $319/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $44/yr | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.29/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $296/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.8 µg/m³ | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 159.5 mi | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈6,238.8 ft | higher than 98% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.5% | higher than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 25.8% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 9.1% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Student-teacher ratio | 16.1:1 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | N/A | |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 6.5 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 6.17 | lower than 96% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.65 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.1 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3★ | lower than 48% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 81.5 yrs | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.9% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 257/100k | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 62/100k | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 7% | lower than 98% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 63 min | higher than 59% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 63 min | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 79.5% | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 16.8% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 52 min | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 1 per sq mi | lower than 95% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 4.2 per 1k | higher than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 4.9 per 1k | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Population | 2,746 | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Median age | 54.7 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -0.6 per 1k/yr | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 36.5% Dem | higher than 67% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 60.8% Rep | lower than 70% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.7% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % White | 86% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 11% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.3% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 0.7% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 2.1% | higher than 99% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 238 parks | higher than 79% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 36.4 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.9% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 7 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 30 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 449 km | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 1 km | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 35 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 46 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 34 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 142 km | higher than 89% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data