Red Bluff, California

Area Profile

14,549 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Red Bluff, in Tehama County.

32out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 1% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 14 sources
Opportunity4,038th of 4,199 cities measured26
Schools3,501st of 4,162 cities measured23
Growth2,961st of 4,224 cities measured41
Housing affordability3,342nd of 4,218 cities measured50
Climate2,688th of 4,225 cities measured66
Physical resilience4,144th of 4,226 cities measured7
Access4,196th of 4,226 cities measured8
Economic stability3,823rd of 4,226 cities measured30
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 6.3% and the Opportunity signal places Red Bluff in the bottom 4%. The unemployment rate is published for Tehama County, CA, which contains Red Bluff, rather than for Red Bluff alone.

In the public schools here, 32% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 19.8 students for every teacher.

Rent takes 35% of renter income here, above the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 4.2 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
14,549
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$51,529
Bottom 25% nationally
Density
1,924/sq mi
7.6 sq mi of land
Median age
34.2
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
California
Micro area
Nearest major airport
SMF
108 mi · Sacramento Intl
Median home value
$299,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Tehama County, CA, which contains Red Bluff, is 6.3% — higher than in all but 6% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment across Tehama County, CA, which contains Red Bluff, fell 0.1% over the past year, to 24,803 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsTehama County, CA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$55,82718th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftTehama County, CA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$50,2927th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$3,6422024 ACS 5-Year$51,529Bottom 25%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$22,6142024 ACS 5-Year$41,367Top 30%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year17.8%Bottom 27%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±2.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year20.5 minTop 19%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year11.7%Bottom 25%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year81.1%63rd percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentTehama County, CA’s figureJuly 202624,803Bottom 30%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Tehama County, CA’s figureJuly 2026−2.5%Bottom 19%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Tehama County, CA’s figureJuly 2026−0.1%Top 36%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceTehama County, CA’s figureJuly 202626,48230th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year68.2%Bottom 23%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Tehama County, CA’s figureJuly 2026−0.8%Top 17%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateTehama County, CA’s figureJuly 20266.3%Bottom 6%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year7.7%50th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202452k41k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $51,529 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Tehama County, CA, which contains this city.

32% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 42% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 19.8 students for every full-time teacher across 12 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
12
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
19.8
across all schools here
Math proficiency
32.3%
Bottom 30% in California
Reading proficiency
42.4%
Bottom 18% in California
The 12 largest public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Red Bluff HighRed Bluff Joint Union High1,58619.122%44%
Vista Preparatory AcademyRed Bluff Union Elementary54122.534%39%
William M. Metteer ElementaryRed Bluff Union Elementary45822.927%36%
Antelope ElementaryAntelope Elementary44220.150%46%
Jackson Heights ElementaryRed Bluff Union Elementary40721.442%37%
Bidwell ElementaryRed Bluff Union Elementary38720.441%46%
Berrendos MiddleAntelope Elementary22919.144%54%
Reeds Creek ElementaryReeds Creek Elementary19521.727%37%
Salisbury High (Continuation)Red Bluff Joint Union High10413.05%15%
Bend ElementaryEvergreen Union10217.065%65%
Lassen-Antelope Volcanic Academy (LAVA) · charterAntelope Elementary9719.437%47%
Red Bluff Community DayRed Bluff Union Elementary165.3——

70.3% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against California’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of California is up 19% over five years, and up 0.3% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,775 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.59% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,362, some 21% above the $1,121 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,362 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $54,500 a year, about 106% of the median household income here of $51,529.

The typical renter household here spends 35% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,121 a month.

A median home at $299,900 costs 4.2 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $71,854, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Rent as a share of income
35.0%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.2×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,362
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,121
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$299,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Red Bluff’s median household income of $51,529, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of California’s figure2026 Q2+0.3%10th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of California’s figure2026 Q2+18.9%4th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of California’s figure2026 Q2+65.8%9th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.72024 ACS 5-Year4.2Bottom 15%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year42.8%5th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3632024 ACS 5-Year6,41091st percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,038Top 25%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,865Top 36%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,362Top 33%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$802024 ACS 5-Year$1,121Bottom 37%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$27,0002024 ACS 5-Year$299,90072nd percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$2482024 ACS 5-Year$1,77550th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$9,3052024 ACS 5-Year$71,854Bottom 40%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.10%2024 ACS 5-Year0.59%19th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year35.0%Bottom 20%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±212024 ACS 5-Year01st percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year8.3%57th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2202024 ACS 5-Year53290th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

41/ 100
Ranks 2,961 of 4,224 published city profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2022 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has fallen 3% since 2020, to 14,286 in 2024.

Permitting has turned upward in 2025, after moving the other way the year before.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 7 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

Federal tax returns show Tehama County, which contains Red Bluff, lost about 0.2% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $55,827, above the $50,292 of households that moved out.

At 0.5 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
7
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
0.5
Bottom 15% nationally
Year over year
+250%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202415k14k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been falling for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.2%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
21%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$55,827
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$50,292
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Shasta County, CA 639 people · 25% of arrivals
  2. Butte County, CA 286 people · 11% of arrivals
  3. Glenn County, CA 199 people · 7.7% of arrivals
  4. Sacramento County, CA 96 people · 3.7% of arrivals
  5. Solano County, CA 54 people · 2.1% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Shasta County, CA 674 people · 25% of departures
  2. Butte County, CA 314 people · 12% of departures
  3. Glenn County, CA 177 people · 6.6% of departures
  4. Sacramento County, CA 80 people · 3.0% of departures
  5. Los Angeles County, CA 41 people · 1.5% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Tehama County, CA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

20222023202420256.00.0
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2022 (+50%).

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 98°F and January a low of 38°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 23.1 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 43, in the Good band, and about 2 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

30°50°70°90°110°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station RED BLUFF MUNI AP, 1.6 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year712024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals23.1"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals38°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals98°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals61991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year22024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year432024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals35°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
43
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
71
90th percentile index
Days above 100
2
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

7 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, wildfire and earthquake, with inland flooding alone responsible for 50% of it.

DroughtHigh
WildfireHigh
EarthquakeHigh
Volcanic activityModerate
Inland floodingHigh

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, heat wave, lightning, avalanche, tornado, hail, strong wind, winter weather, cold wave, hurricane, tsunami, coastal flooding, ice storm.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
1,192
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
3,055
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Red Bluff's police department reported 1,192 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 3,055.

Tehama County has a modeled homicide rate of about 3.1 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 14.3 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 30.8 per 100,000 residents in Tehama County.

Homicide
3.1
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
14.3
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Drug overdose
30.8
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
20.0
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Red Bluff’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Red Bluff (Tehama County) rather than Red Bluff itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

No airport meeting the AreaProfile major-airport definition lies within 100 miles; the nearest is 108 miles away.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year89.8%Top 50%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle108 miBottom 1%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle0Bottom 1%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year8.4%Bottom 45%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Sacramento IntlSMF108 mi8,605 ft
Mc Clellan AirfieldMCC113 mi10,599 ft
Reno/SteadRTS130 mi9,000 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
32
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Red Bluff

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Red Bluff with census figures of its own, largest first.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
9608031,554$66,076$343,70034