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Bystrom vs Modesto

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (52.9× in Modesto) and jobs per worker (4.1× in Modesto).

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Bystrom, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 4,143 people
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Modesto, CAHometown of 71 notable peopleCalifornia · 219,215 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 $730 more a month in Modesto

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

The difference: $730 a month, about $8,800 a year, between Modesto 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

Modesto places higher on 12 of 18 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.

Where they are

Bystrom and Modesto share a border

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

BystromModestoBystromModesto
Bystrom ↔ Modesto1.7 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
260 Bystrom residents work in Modesto (20.8% 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
BystromModesto
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F42°F
July high93°F93°F
Growing season (days)351d351d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)86th69th
Outdoors & history
BystromModesto
Trails—28 mi
Conserved land—5.4%
Settled—1870
National Register places—4
Archive photos—4
Famous people born here—71
Community
BystromModesto
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.

BystromModesto
People
Population 4,143Lowest 219,215Highest
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 35.1±0.5Highest 7% below CA
Modesto 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% 26.2%±0.9Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 8.2%±2.9Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.4%±0.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 6.2%Lowest CA: 37.1% 21.2%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.7%±1.9Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.5%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $49,094±$21kLowest 50% below CA $79,891±$2kHighest 19% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $319,400±$25kLowest 57% below CA $442,700±$5kHighest 40% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,189±$262Lowest 42% below CA $1,690±$33Highest 17% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,783Lowest 65% below CA $2,835Highest 45% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 76.8%±18Highest CA: 55.3% 57.4%±2.7Lowest CA: 55.3%
Bystrom and Modesto 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% 13.3%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.8%Lowest CA: 55.9% 58.9%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 1 yr newer than CA 1978Highest 2 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest 7% below CA 30 minHighest 5% above CA
Work from home 3.1%±0.8Lowest CA: 17.2% 8.4%±1Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 0.7%Lowest 31.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miHighest 11.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.23Lowest 0.94Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Modesto (21%)Ceres (4%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 21% work in ModestoFew work in Bystrom
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 5.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 28.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 51Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 160Highest 119Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #527 of 574 in CA#405 of 574 in CA
School district Modesto City ElementaryYosemite ROP · Aspire Vanguard College Preparatory Academy District
High school in town None in townJames 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.

Bystrom neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bystrom’s Town Square.

Modesto neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Modesto’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bystrom and Modesto

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Bordering Bystrom

Towns like Bystrom

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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