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Bystrom vs Ceres

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (11.9× in Ceres) and jobs per worker (3.7× in Ceres).

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Bystrom, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 4,143 people
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Ceres, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 49,342 people
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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.

BystromOne of the healthiest towns
Health99% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 22%of CA districts All about Bystrom →
CeresAn outdoors town
Outdoors#186 most walkable in CA6.1 miles of trails across 16 parks and preserves Housing$451K typical home41% below the CA typical home Health80% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Ceres →
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.

Size11.9×
Ceres is the bigger place
Ceres 49,342Bystrom 4,143
Jobs per worker3.7×
Ceres is more of a job hub
Ceres 0.85Bystrom 0.23
Household income+61%
Households in Ceres earn more
Ceres $79,025Bystrom $49,094
Property tax bill+49%
Tax bills are bigger in Ceres
Ceres $2,665Bystrom $1,783
Rent+38%
Rent runs higher in Ceres
Ceres $1,639Bystrom $1,189
Home values+33%
Homes cost more in Ceres
Ceres $424,800Bystrom $319,400
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $770 more a month in Ceres

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.

Bystrom$1,820/mo
Typical home $319K (Census) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $1,189/mo · Housing →
Ceres$2,600/mo
Typical home $451K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $1,639/mo · Housing →

The difference: $770 a month, about $9,300 a year, between Ceres and Bystrom.

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

Ceres places higher on 11 of 17 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.

Safety
–BystromNot graded C−CeresSafer than 22% of U.S. towns
Schools
C−BystromBetter than 22% of districts in the state B−CeresBetter than 47% of districts in the state
Health
D−BystromHealthier than under 1% of U.S. towns C−CeresHealthier than 20% of U.S. towns
6Bystrom
11Ceres

Lists won, of 17 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #691#238 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #344#697 Highest incomeIncome · 843 towns #804#577 Cheapest rentCost of living · 830 towns #82#277 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #527#407 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #25#186 Fewest smokersHealth · 844 towns #832#679 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #420#288

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Bystrom’s rankings →

Where they are

Bystrom and Ceres share a border

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

BystromCeresBystromCeres
Bystrom ↔ Ceres1.6 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
75 Bystrom residents work in Ceres (6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Bystrom →
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
BystromCeres
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F42°F
July high93°F93°F
Growing season (days)351d351d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)86th62nd
Outdoors & history
BystromCeres
Trails—6 mi
Conserved land—2.8%
National Register places—1
Community
BystromCeres
Library hours a week—30 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.

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.

BystromCeres
People
Population 4,143Lowest 49,342Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.3%Lowest CA: +6.1% +8.6%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 30.4±4.8Lowest 20% below CA 32.8±1Highest 13% below CA
Ceres and Bystrom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 32.4%±3.9Highest CA: 22% 27.9%±1.9Lowest CA: 22%
Bystrom and Ceres are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 8.2%±2.9Lowest CA: 15.7% 11.9%±1.3Highest CA: 15.7%
Ceres and Bystrom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 6.2%Lowest CA: 37.1% 12.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.7%±1.9Lowest CA: 7.6% 5.3%±0.8Highest CA: 7.6%
Ceres and Bystrom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $49,094±$21kLowest 50% below CA $79,025±$5kHighest 20% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $319,400±$25kLowest 57% below CA $424,800±$10kHighest 42% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,189±$262Lowest 42% below CA $1,639±$81Highest 19% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,783Lowest 65% below CA $2,665Highest 48% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 76.8%±18Highest CA: 55.3% 54.4%±8.9Lowest CA: 55.3%
Bystrom and Ceres are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 33.5%Highest CA: 12% 15.9%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.8%Lowest CA: 55.9% 64.4%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 1 yr newer than CA 1986Highest 10 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest 7% below CA 34 minHighest 18% above CA
Work from home 3.1%±0.8Lowest CA: 17.2% 5.7%±1.5Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 0.7%Lowest 12.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miHighest 10.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.23Lowest 0.85Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Modesto (21%)Modesto (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 6% work in CeresFew work in Bystrom
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 2.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 6.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 16Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 160Highest 110Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #527 of 574 in CA#407 of 574 in CA
School district Modesto City ElementaryCeres Unified · Stanislaus County Office of Education
High school in town None in townCeres High
Students per teacherat that high school — 22.6
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.

Bystrom neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bystrom’s Town Square.

Ceres neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ceres’s Town Square.

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Bordering Bystrom

+ Compare
Modesto219,215 people · $443K homes

Towns like Bystrom

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Rio Dell3,349 people · $302K homes
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Woodlake7,702 people · $300K homes
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Orland8,357 people · $342K homes
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Williams5,585 people · $370K 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.

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