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Compare towns

Atwater vs Brawley

416 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (9.5× in Atwater) and average commute (10 min in Brawley).

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Atwater, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 32,162 people
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Brawley, CAHomes around $360KCalifornia · 27,283 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $370 more a month in Atwater

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.

Atwater$2,450/mo
Typical home $422K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $1,279/mo · Housing →
Brawley$2,080/mo
Typical home $360K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $988/mo · Housing →

The difference: $370 a month, about $4,400 a year, between Atwater and Brawley.

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

Brawley places higher on 11 of 21 CA lists

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.

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
AtwaterBrawley
Snow a year0″0″
January low37°F41°F
July high95°F108°F
Growing season (days)263d335d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)61st91st
Outdoors & history
AtwaterBrawley
Trails8 mi1 mi
Conserved land1.8%2.6%
Settled1922—
National Register places1—
Archive photos—24
Famous people born here—24
Community
AtwaterBrawley
Library hours a week37 hrs20 hrs
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.

Where they are

416 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Atwater ↔ Brawley416 miles apart
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.

AtwaterBrawley
People
Population 32,162Highest 27,283Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13.5%Highest CA: +6.1% +5.9%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 33±1.8Highest 13% below CA 30.6±1.4Lowest 19% below CA
Atwater and Brawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29%±2.6Lowest CA: 22% 30.3%±3.2Highest CA: 22%
Brawley and Atwater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.4%±1.4Highest CA: 15.7% 11.2%±1.7Lowest CA: 15.7%
Atwater and Brawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12.9%Lowest CA: 37.1% 15.9%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.5%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.2%±1.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Brawley and Atwater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,472±$5kHighest 35% below CA $59,311±$6kLowest 40% below CA
Atwater and Brawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $363,400±$10kHighest 51% below CA $290,700±$20kLowest 60% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,279±$70Highest 37% below CA $988±$62Lowest 51% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,407Highest 53% below CA $1,829Lowest 64% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.4%±7.7Highest CA: 55.3% 49%±8.9Lowest CA: 55.3%
Atwater and Brawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 21%Lowest CA: 12% 21.3%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 52.1%Highest CA: 55.9% 51.6%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than CA 1985Highest 9 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest about the CA average 18 minLowest 37% below CA
Work from home 4.2%±1.3Lowest CA: 17.2% 11.1%±3.4Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 10.7%Lowest 26.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.8 miHighest 13.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.53Lowest 0.65Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Merced (17%)El Centro (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BrawleyFew work in Atwater
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.8%Lowest 2.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 7.6 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 11Lowest 15Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 120Highest 78.4Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #289 of 574 in CA#456 of 574 in CA
School district Atwater Elementary · Merced Union HighBrawley Elementary · Brawley Union High
High school in town Atwater HighBrawley Union High
Students per teacherat that high school 20.7Lowest 23.2Highest
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.

Atwater neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Atwater’s Town Square.

Brawley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brawley’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Atwater

Towns like Atwater

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.

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