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Ceres vs Los Banos

38 miles apart. The biggest differences: average commute (21 min in Ceres) and growth since 2010 (+18 pts in Los Banos).

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Ceres, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 49,342 people
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Los Banos, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 47,593 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 →
Los BanosAn outdoors town
Outdoors#190 most walkable in CA6.4 miles of trails across 23 parks and preserves Housing$461K typical home40% below the CA typical home SchoolsBetter than 20%of CA districts All about Los Banos →
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.

Average commute21 min
Ceres has the shorter commute
Los Banos 55 minCeres 34 min
Growth since 2010+18 pts
Los Banos has grown faster since 2010
Los Banos +26.6%Ceres +8.6%
Jobs per worker+77%
Ceres is more of a job hub
Ceres 0.85Los Banos 0.48
Work in town+8.9 pts
More of Los Banos’s workers stay in town
Los Banos 21.1%Ceres 12.2%
★ What stands out · Report cards

Ceres places higher on 11 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−CeresSafer than 22% of U.S. towns C+Los BanosSafer than 37% of U.S. towns
Schools
B−CeresBetter than 47% of districts in the state C−Los BanosBetter than 20% of districts in the state
Health
C−CeresHealthier than 20% of U.S. towns CLos BanosHealthier than 28% of U.S. towns
11Ceres
10Los Banos

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

Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #414#165 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #175#304 SafestSafety · 411 towns #271#156 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #238#42 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #407#538 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #612#770 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #697#841 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #749#633

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

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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 →
Los Banos$2,670/mo
Typical home $461K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $1,557/mo · Housing →

The difference: $70 a month, about $900 a year, between Los Banos and Ceres.

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
CeresLos Banos
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F39°F
July high93°F95°F
Growing season (days)351d322d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)62nd72nd
Outdoors & history
CeresLos Banos
Trails6 mi6 mi
Conserved land2.8%3%
National Register places12
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—11
Community
CeresLos Banos
Library hours a week30 hrs37 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.

Where they are

38 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CeresCALos BanosCA
Ceres ↔ Los Banos38 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.

CeresLos Banos
People
Population 49,342Highest 47,593Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.6%Lowest CA: +6.1% +26.6%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 32.8±1Highest 13% below CA 30.3±1.1Lowest 20% below CA
Kids under 18 27.9%±1.9Lowest CA: 22% 31%±2.7Highest CA: 22%
Los Banos 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% 10.9%±1.3Lowest CA: 15.7%
Ceres and Los Banos 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% 12.5%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.3%±0.8Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.9%±1.2Highest CA: 7.6%
Los Banos and Ceres 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 $68,171±$8kLowest 31% below CA
Ceres and Los Banos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $424,800±$10kLowest 42% below CA $440,900±$8kHighest 40% below CA
Los Banos and Ceres are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,639±$81Highest 19% below CA $1,557±$96Lowest 24% below CA
Ceres and Los Banos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,665Lowest 48% below CA $2,918Highest 43% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.4%±8.9Lowest CA: 55.3% 59.7%±8.1Highest CA: 55.3%
Los Banos 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% 17.4%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 64.4%Highest CA: 55.9% 59.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1986Lowest 10 yrs newer than CA 1997Highest 21 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minLowest 18% above CA 55 minHighest 90% above CA
Work from home 5.7%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2% 6.1%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Los Banos and Ceres are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 12.2%Lowest 21.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miLowest 41.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.85Highest 0.48Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Modesto (21%)Merced (4%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Los BanosFew work in Ceres
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.8%Lowest 3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 6.1 miLowest 6.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 mi 0.6 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Lowest 23Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 110Highest 110Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #407 of 574 in CA#538 of 574 in CA
School district Ceres Unified · Stanislaus County Office of EducationLos Banos Unified · Merced County Office of Education
High school in town Ceres HighPacheco High
Students per teacherat that high school 22.6Highest 20.3Lowest
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.

Los Banos neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Los Banos’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Ceres

B
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Bystrom4,143 people · $319K homes

Towns like Ceres

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Coachella43,307 people · $368K homes
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Hanford59,754 people · $349K homes
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Delano51,679 people · $302K homes
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Perris80,511 people · $475K 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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