Atwater and Reedley receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Atwater
Reedley
Opportunity
41 · Bottom 19%
vs38 · Bottom 15%
Growth
32 · Bottom 20%
vs41 · Bottom 33%
Climate
75 · Top 28%
vs70 · Bottom 46%
Physical resilience
11 · Bottom 7%
vs13 · Bottom 9%
Housing affordability
61 · Bottom 21%
vs61 · Bottom 22%
Access
73 · Bottom 15%
vs89 · Bottom 38%
Economic stability
48 · Bottom 28%
vs47 · Bottom 28%
Measured values
| Metric | Atwater | Reedley | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 32,162 | 25,609 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $64,472 | $63,307 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $28,045 | $25,275 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 4,898/sq mi | 4,562/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $363,400 | $334,800 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,279 | $1,288 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 52.1% | 56.4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 8.0% | 13.9% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 0.4% | -0.4% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.9% | 16.0% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 21.0% | 22.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 10 | 22 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 0.3 | 0.9 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | -37.5% | -26.7% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 96°F | 98°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 37°F | 41°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 11.8" | 11.0" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 51 mi | 19 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 29.2 min | 26.9 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 33.0 | 32.3 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 13 | 15 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 22.43 | 22.75 | 2024-25 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 79.6% | 85.3% | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Atwater
Elevated or high exposure: drought, earthquake, heat wave.
Reedley
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, drought, heat wave.
Full profiles: Atwater, CA · Reedley, CA · How this is calculated: methodology