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Compare towns

Bystrom vs Williams

123 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (5× in Bystrom) and jobs per worker (2.8× in Williams).

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Bystrom, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 4,143 people
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Williams, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 5,585 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 · Report cards

Williams places higher on 13 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $400 more a month in Williams

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 →
Williams$2,220/mo
Typical home $382K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.69% · or rent about $1,184/mo · Housing →

The difference: $400 a month, about $4,700 a year, between Williams 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.

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
BystromWilliams
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F38°F
July high93°F92°F
Growing season (days)351d293d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)86th76th
Outdoors & history
BystromWilliams
Trails—1 mi
Conserved land—0.8%
Settled—1920
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—1
Community
BystromWilliams
Library hours a week—24 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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

123 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bystrom ↔ Williams123 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.

BystromWilliams
People
Population 4,143Lowest 5,585Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.3%Lowest CA: +6.1% +8.1%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 30.4±4.8 20% below CA 30.4±2.2 20% below CA
Kids under 18 32.4%±3.9Highest CA: 22% 30.6%±5.5Lowest CA: 22%
Bystrom and Williams 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% 9.7%±3Highest CA: 15.7%
Williams 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% 14.5%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.7%±1.9Lowest CA: 7.6% 4.4%±2.1Highest CA: 7.6%
Williams 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 $90,761±$22kHighest 8% below CA
Williams and Bystrom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $319,400±$25kLowest 57% below CA $370,000±$19kHighest 50% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,189±$262Highest 42% below CA $1,184±$326Lowest 42% below CA
Bystrom and Williams are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,783Lowest 65% below CA $2,544Highest 50% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 76.8%±18Highest CA: 55.3% 48.8%±20.6Lowest CA: 55.3%
Bystrom and Williams 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% 9.3%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 53.5%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 1 yr newer than CA 1998Highest 22 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 7% below CA 26 minLowest 9% below CA
Work from home 3.1%±0.8Highest CA: 17.2% 2%±2.1Lowest CA: 17.2%
Bystrom and Williams are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.7%Lowest 17.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miLowest 27.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.23Lowest 0.65Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Modesto (21%)Colusa (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WilliamsFew work in Bystrom
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 0.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 1.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 160Highest 32.1Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #527 of 574 in CA#149 of 574 in CA
School district Modesto City ElementaryWilliams Unified · Colusa County Office of Education
High school in town None in townWilliams Junior/Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school — 20.3
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.

Williams neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Remembering Old Williams

1 neighbor in Williams can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bystrom and Williams

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

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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