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Carpinteria vs Auburn

323 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (+58% in Carpinteria) and home values (+55% in Carpinteria).

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Carpinteria, CAHomes around $1.52MCalifornia · 13,036 people
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Auburn, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 13,768 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.

CarpinteriaHomes around $1.52M
Housing$1.52M typical home99% above the CA typical home SchoolsBetter than 50%of CA districts HealthHealthier than 78%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Carpinteria →
AuburnKnown for its schools
Schools#213 for schools in CAof 574 towns History30 archive photos & papers14 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 66%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Auburn →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Rent+58%
Rent runs higher in Carpinteria
Carpinteria $2,377Auburn $1,501
Home values+55%
Homes cost more in Carpinteria
Carpinteria $1,043,100Auburn $672,500
Street grid2.5×
Auburn has the more walkable street grid
Auburn 78.8Carpinteria 31.8
Seasonal homes+8.2 pts
Carpinteria has more second homes
Carpinteria 10.8%Auburn 2.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $5,010 more a month in Carpinteria

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.

Carpinteria$8,740/mo
Typical home $1.52M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.60% · or rent about $2,377/mo · Housing →
Auburn$3,730/mo
Typical home $628K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.84% · or rent about $1,501/mo · Housing →

The difference: $5,010 a month, about $60,200 a year, between Carpinteria and Auburn.

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

Auburn places higher on 15 of 22 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
C+CarpinteriaSafer than 42% of U.S. towns B−AuburnSafer than 49% of U.S. towns
Schools
B−CarpinteriaBetter than 50% of districts in the state BAuburnBetter than 57% of districts in the state
Health
A−CarpinteriaHealthier than 78% of U.S. towns B+AuburnHealthier than 66% of U.S. towns
6Carpinteria
15Auburn

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #529#50 Cheapest rentCost of living · 830 towns #617#208 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #184#568 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #671#370 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #448#166 Fewest smokersHealth · 844 towns #158#424 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #406#202 Most affordableCost of living · 835 towns #664#446

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

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
CarpinteriaAuburn
Snow a year0″—
January low47°F—
July high76°F—
Growing season (days)365d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)98th10th
Outdoors & history
CarpinteriaAuburn
Trails9 mi12 mi
Conserved land3%8.5%
National Register places—14
Archive photos430
Famous people born here632
Community
CarpinteriaAuburn
Library hours a week42 hrs38 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

323 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CarpinteriaCAAuburnCA
Carpinteria ↔ Auburn323 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.

CarpinteriaAuburn
People
Population 13,036Lowest 13,768Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.7%Lowest CA: +6.1% +3.3%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 44.8±3.9Lowest 18% above CA 47.5±4Highest 25% above CA
Auburn and Carpinteria are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.1%±3.3Highest CA: 22% 17%±2.8Lowest CA: 22%
Carpinteria and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 24.3%±3.3Lowest CA: 15.7% 27%±2.8Highest CA: 15.7%
Auburn and Carpinteria are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 44%Highest CA: 37.1% 40.6%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±1.9Highest CA: 7.6% 4%±1.2Lowest CA: 7.6%
Carpinteria and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $100,658±$12kHighest about the CA average $82,674±$8kLowest 17% below CA
Carpinteria and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,043,100±$73kHighest 42% above CA $672,500±$29kLowest 8% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,377±$149Highest 17% above CA $1,501±$129Lowest 26% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,258Highest 22% above CA $5,633Lowest 10% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 65%±12.3Highest CA: 55.3% 59.9%±10Lowest CA: 55.3%
Carpinteria and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7%Lowest CA: 12% 13%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 61.5%Lowest CA: 55.9% 62.4%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Lowest 1 yr older than CA 1978Highest 2 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minHighest 13% below CA 21 minLowest 26% below CA
Work from home 16.4%±4Lowest CA: 17.2% 19%±2.8Highest CA: 17.2%
Auburn and Carpinteria are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 17.7%Highest 12.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miLowest 19.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Lowest 1.21Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Santa Barbara (25%)North Auburn (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AuburnFew work in Carpinteria
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3%Lowest 8.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 8.5 miLowest 12.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 13Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 31.8Lowest 78.8Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #293 of 574 in CA#213 of 574 in CA
School district Carpinteria UnifiedAuburn Union Elementary · Placer Union High
High school in town Carpinteria Senior HighPlacer High
Students per teacherat that high school 18.2Lowest 22.3Highest
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.

Carpinteria neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Carpinteria can answer.

Auburn neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Auburn’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Carpinteria and Auburn

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

Bordering Carpinteria

T
+ Compare
Toro Canyon1,477 people · $2M homes

Towns like Carpinteria

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Healdsburg11,243 people · $950K homes
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Arroyo Grande18,372 people · $814K homes
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Ojai7,577 people · $1.02M homes
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La Palma15,272 people · $974K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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