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Compare towns

Brawley vs Atwater

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

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

Brawley$2,080/mo
Typical home $360K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $988/mo · Housing →
Atwater$2,450/mo
Typical home $422K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $1,279/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
BrawleyAtwater
Snow a year0″0″
January low41°F37°F
July high108°F95°F
Growing season (days)335d263d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)91st61st
Outdoors & history
BrawleyAtwater
Trails1 mi8 mi
Conserved land2.6%1.8%
Settled—1922
National Register places—1
Archive photos24—
Famous people born here24—
Community
BrawleyAtwater
Library hours a week20 hrs37 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.

Brawley ↔ Atwater416 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.

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

Brawley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brawley’s Town Square.

Atwater neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Atwater’s Town Square.

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Towns like Brawley

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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