Truckee-Grass Valley, CA

Micro Area Profile

102,481 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Truckee-Grass Valley, CA micropolitan area.

50out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 24% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
Opportunity423rd of 835 metro and micro areas measured50
SchoolsTop 20% of 695 metro and micro areas measured74
Growth580th of 834 metro and micro areas measured39
Housing affordability820th of 835 metro and micro areas measured37
ClimateTop 27% of 835 metro and micro areas measured73
Physical resilience765th of 835 metro and micro areas measured19
Access485th of 835 metro and micro areas measured73
Economic stabilityTop 34% of 835 metro and micro areas measured65
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.7% and median household income $89,882, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

In the public schools here, 44% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 20.6 students for every teacher.

204 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, essentially level with the prior year — steady rather than turning.

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
102,481
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$89,882
Top 8% nationally
Density
107/sq mi
957.8 sq mi of land
Median age
50.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
California
Nearest major airport
TVL
50 mi · Lake Tahoe
Median home value
$621,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.7% — higher than in all but 31% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment fell 2.7% over the past year, to 44,740 employed residents.

42% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 92% of measured US metro and micro areas.

Median household income of $89,882 is higher than in 92% of measured US metro and micro areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$3,9982024 ACS 5-Year$89,882Top 8%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,0882024 ACS 5-Year$53,364Top 4%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year11.0%Top 32%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year24.8 minBottom 42%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year41.5%Top 8%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year62.8%3rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202644,740Top 47%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−1.1%Bottom 39%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−2.7%Bottom 14%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202646,96053rd percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year75.0%Bottom 39%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year0.4%55th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.3%Top 43%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.7%Bottom 31%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year25.0%99th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/076.23.5
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.7% in July 2026. It has been rising for the last 2 months, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

44% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 59% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 20.6 students for every full-time teacher across 33 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
38
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
20.6
across 33 of them
Math proficiency
43.9%
Top 13% in California
Reading proficiency
58.6%
Top 3% in California
The 12 largest of 38 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Nevada Union HighNevada Joint Union High1,56120.339%71%
Tahoe Truckee HighTahoe-Truckee Unified90720.247%67%
Bear River HighNevada Joint Union High66424.652%82%
John Muir Charter · charterJohn Muir Charter District62917.03%8%
Grass Valley Charter · charterGrass Valley Elementary54623.739%56%
Union Hill Elementary · charterUnion Hill Elementary54220.839%54%
Alder Creek MiddleTahoe-Truckee Unified53519.152%62%
Truckee ElementaryTahoe-Truckee Unified51521.541%49%
Glenshire ElementaryTahoe-Truckee Unified49924.972%73%
Cottage Hill ElementaryPleasant Ridge Union Elementary48523.147%52%
Nevada City School of the Arts · charterNevada City School of the Arts District47719.144%55%
Lyman Gilmore MiddleGrass Valley Elementary46419.331%40%

42.8% 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.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $4,694 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.75% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,813, some 8% above the $1,677 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,813 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $72,500 a year, about 81% of the median household income here of $89,882.

The typical renter household here spends 34% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,677 a month.

A median home at $621,800 costs 5.9 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $104,812, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.

Rent as a share of income
34.1%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
5.9×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,813
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,677
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$621,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Truckee-Grass Valley’s median household income of $89,882, 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 to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year5.9Bottom 3%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year75.5%83rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±832024 ACS 5-Year54,30962nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,382Bottom 11%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$2,521Bottom 5%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,813Bottom 7%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$962024 ACS 5-Year$1,677Bottom 5%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$12,6672024 ACS 5-Year$621,80097th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1622024 ACS 5-Year$4,69494th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$4,3442024 ACS 5-Year$104,812Top 11%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.03%2024 ACS 5-Year0.75%45th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year34.1%Bottom 7%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±5992024 ACS 5-Year9,42291st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year17.3%94th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year3.7%3rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±7012024 ACS 5-Year11,44477th percentileof 9352024 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

39/ 100
Ranks 580 of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

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 been broadly flat since 2020, at 102,195 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 204 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

At 2.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
204
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.0
Bottom 40% nationally
Year over year
0%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024103k102k
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 holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 78°F and January a low of 34°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 62.4 inches.

20°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station BLUE CANYON AP, 3.5 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND10.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals62.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals34°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals78°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals31°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

19 / 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 46% of it.

WildfireHigh
LandslideModerate
EarthquakeHigh
Inland floodingHigh

Low or minimal exposure: avalanche, lightning, winter weather, volcanic activity, heat wave, hail, tornado, strong wind, cold wave, drought, 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. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

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.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
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

5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Lake Tahoe at 50 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year93.0%Top 8%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle50 miBottom 38%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle5Top 26%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year4.9%Top 11%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Lake TahoeTVL50 mi8,541 ft
Reno/SteadRTS54 mi9,000 ft
Mc Clellan AirfieldMCC55 mi10,599 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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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
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
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
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.