Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Airport vs Modesto

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (282× in Modesto) and size (242.8× in Modesto).

×
Airport, CAA small town of 903California · 903 people
×
Modesto, CAHometown of 71 notable peopleCalifornia · 219,215 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

AirportA small town of 903
Quiet strengthsAirport doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Airport →
ModestoHometown of 71 notable people
Famous people71 notable peopleborn in Modesto Outdoors#146 most walkable in CA28 miles of trails across 51 parks and preserves Housing$443K typical home42% below the CA typical home All about Modesto →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails282×
Modesto has more miles of trail
Modesto 28.2 miAirport 0.1 mi
Size242.8×
Modesto is the bigger place
Modesto 219,215Airport 903
Household income2.5×
Households in Modesto earn more
Modesto $79,891Airport $32,159
Growth since 2010+37.9 pts
Modesto has grown faster since 2010
Modesto +8.6%Airport -29.3%
Work in town+29.7 pts
More of Modesto’s workers stay in town
Modesto 31.2%Airport 1.5%
Homeowners+29.3 pts renters
Airport has more renters
Modesto 58.9%Airport 29.6%
★ What stands out · Where they are

Airport and Modesto share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

AirportModestoAirportModesto
Airport ↔ Modesto1.7 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
74 Airport residents work in Modesto (15.9% of its workers)
Work & commute in Airport →
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Airport$2,480/mo
Typical home $442K (Census) · tax rate 0.44% · or rent about $1,210/mo · Housing →
Modesto$2,560/mo
Typical home $443K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,690/mo · Housing →

The difference: $80 a month, about $1,000 a year, between Modesto and Airport.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–AirportNot graded DModestoSafer than 12% of U.S. towns
Schools
–AirportNot graded C−ModestoBetter than 20% of districts in the state
Health
–AirportNot graded CModestoHealthier than 32% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AirportModesto
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F42°F
July high93°F93°F
Growing season (days)351d351d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)70th69th
Outdoors & history
AirportModesto
Trails0 mi28 mi
Conserved land3.7%5.4%
Settled—1870
National Register places—4
Archive photos—4
Famous people born here—71
Community
AirportModesto
Library hours a week—78 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AirportModesto
People
Population 903Lowest 219,215Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -29.3%Lowest CA: +6.1% +8.6%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 31.3±8Lowest 17% below CA 35.1±0.5Highest 7% below CA
Modesto and Airport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.5%±5.9Lowest CA: 22% 26.2%±0.9Highest CA: 22%
Modesto and Airport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 8%±4.9Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.4%±0.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 1%Lowest CA: 37.1% 21.2%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.4%±5.8Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.5%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Modesto and Airport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $32,159±$32kLowest 68% below CA $79,891±$2kHighest 19% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $441,700±$284kLowest 40% below CA $442,700±$5kHighest 40% below CA
Modesto and Airport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,210±$154Lowest 41% below CA $1,690±$33Highest 17% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,935Lowest 62% below CA $2,835Highest 45% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 76.4%±25.4Highest CA: 55.3% 57.4%±2.7Lowest CA: 55.3%
Airport and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 41.4%Highest CA: 12% 13.3%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 29.6%Lowest CA: 55.9% 58.9%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1948Lowest 28 yrs older than CA 1978Highest 2 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 17% above CA 30 minLowest 5% above CA
Work from home 3.6%±9.8Lowest CA: 17.2% 8.4%±1Highest CA: 17.2%
Modesto and Airport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.5%Lowest 31.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 28.8 miHighest 11.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.66Lowest 0.94Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Modesto (16%)Ceres (4%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 16% work in ModestoFew work in Airport
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.7%Lowest 5.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 28.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 51Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 101Lowest 119Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#405 of 574 in CA
School district —Yosemite ROP · Aspire Vanguard College Preparatory Academy District
High school in town —James C. Enochs High
Students per teacherat that high school — 23.5
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Airport neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Airport’s Town Square.

Modesto neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Modesto’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Airport and Modesto

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Airport

+ Compare
Westmorland1,844 people · $310K homes
+ Compare
Fort Jones562 people · $229K homes
+ Compare
Tulelake925 people · $170K homes
+ Compare
Maricopa984 people · $156K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Post to Airport

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in