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Ceres vs Bystrom

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

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

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 →
BystromOne of the healthiest towns
Health99% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 22%of CA districts All about Bystrom →
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.

Ceres$2,600/mo
Typical home $451K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $1,639/mo · Housing →
Bystrom$1,820/mo
Typical home $319K (Census) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $1,189/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
C−CeresSafer than 22% of U.S. towns –BystromNot graded
Schools
B−CeresBetter than 47% of districts in the state C−BystromBetter than 22% of districts in the state
Health
C−CeresHealthier than 20% of U.S. towns D−BystromHealthier than under 1% of U.S. towns
11Ceres
6Bystrom

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

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

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

Where they are

Ceres and Bystrom share a border

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

CeresBystromCeresBystrom
Ceres ↔ Bystrom1.6 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
CeresBystrom
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F42°F
July high93°F93°F
Growing season (days)351d351d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)62nd86th
Outdoors & history
CeresBystrom
Trails6 mi—
Conserved land2.8%—
National Register places1—
Community
CeresBystrom
Library hours a week30 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.

CeresBystrom
People
Population 49,342Highest 4,143Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.6%Highest CA: +6.1% -1.3%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 32.8±1Highest 13% below CA 30.4±4.8Lowest 20% 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 27.9%±1.9Lowest CA: 22% 32.4%±3.9Highest CA: 22%
Bystrom and Ceres are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11.9%±1.3Highest CA: 15.7% 8.2%±2.9Lowest 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+ 12.7%Highest CA: 37.1% 6.2%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.3%±0.8Highest CA: 7.6% 3.7%±1.9Lowest 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 $79,025±$5kHighest 20% below CA $49,094±$21kLowest 50% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $424,800±$10kHighest 42% below CA $319,400±$25kLowest 57% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,639±$81Highest 19% below CA $1,189±$262Lowest 42% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,665Highest 48% below CA $1,783Lowest 65% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.4%±8.9Lowest CA: 55.3% 76.8%±18Highest 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 15.9%Lowest CA: 12% 33.5%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 64.4%Highest CA: 55.9% 58.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1986Highest 10 yrs newer than CA 1977Lowest 1 yr newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 18% above CA 27 minLowest 7% below CA
Work from home 5.7%±1.5Highest CA: 17.2% 3.1%±0.8Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 12.2%Highest 0.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miLowest 19.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.85Highest 0.23Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Modesto (21%)Modesto (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Bystrom6% work in Ceres
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.8%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 6.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 110Lowest 160Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #407 of 574 in CA#527 of 574 in CA
School district Ceres Unified · Stanislaus County Office of EducationModesto City Elementary
High school in town Ceres HighNone in town
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.

Ceres neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ceres’s Town Square.

Bystrom neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bystrom’s Town Square.

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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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