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.

Down paymentRate%

Colusa$2,140/mo

Typical home $372K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.59% · or rent about $1,132/mo · Housing →

Taft$1,240/mo

Typical home $207K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.89% · or rent about $1,069/mo · Housing →

The difference: $900 a month, about $10,800 a year, between Colusa and Taft.

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

Colusa places higher on 12 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+ColusaSafer than 35% of U.S. towns DTaftSafer than 12% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−ColusaBetter than 45% of districts in the state C+TaftBetter than 36% of districts in the state

Health

CColusaHealthier than 28% of U.S. towns CTaftHealthier than 32% of U.S. towns

12Colusa

10Taft

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

Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #180#738 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #275#785 SafestSafety · 411 towns #173#350 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #255#394 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #537#750 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #211#376 Most affordableCost of living · 835 towns #180#47 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #220#321

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Colusa’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

ColusaTaft

Snow a year0″0″

January low38°F 41°F

July high92°F 99°F

Growing season (days)293d 330d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)56th 85th

Outdoors & history

ColusaTaft

Trails7 mi 18 mi

Conserved land13.5%0.3%

Settled1850 —

National Register places3 1

Archive photos6 —

Famous people born here8 —

Community

ColusaTaft

Library hours a week40 hrs 20 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

315 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ColusaCA TaftCA

Colusa ↔ Taft315 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.

Only big differences vs California average

ColusaTaft

People

Population 6,505Lowest 7,125Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +7.4%Highest CA: +6.1% -8.4%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 38.1±3.7Highest about the CA average 37.1±5.2Lowest about the CA average

Colusa and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 30.2%±4.7Highest CA: 22% 19.1%±5.6Lowest CA: 22%

Age 65+ 17.4%±3.3Highest CA: 15.7% 14.4%±6.4Lowest CA: 15.7%

Colusa and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.8%Highest CA: 37.1% 9%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.6%±1.6Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.8%±2.6Highest CA: 7.6%

Taft and Colusa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $71,250±$11kLowest 28% below CA $72,772±$22kHighest 27% below CA

Taft and Colusa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $375,000±$29kHighest 49% below CA $252,600±$22kLowest 66% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,132±$74Highest 44% below CA $1,069±$189Lowest 47% below CA

Colusa and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,210Lowest 57% below CA $2,244Highest 56% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 68.4%±14.9Highest CA: 55.3% 52.6%±17.6Lowest CA: 55.3%

Colusa and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 18.1%Highest CA: 12% 16.9%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 59.9%Highest CA: 55.9% 55%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 4 yrs older than CA 1971Lowest 5 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 31% below CA 19 minLowest 34% below CA

Work from home 4%±3Lowest CA: 17.2% 4.4%±4.6Highest CA: 17.2%

Taft and Colusa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 25.2%Lowest 27.6%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.3 miLowest 27.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.93Lowest 1.15Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Williams (7%)Bakersfield (17%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in TaftFew work in Colusa

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 13.5%Highest 0.3%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 7.1 miLowest 18.3 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 1.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Highest 3Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 52.2Highest 19.7Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #248 of 574 in CA #243 of 574 in CA

School district Colusa UnifiedTaft City · Taft Union High

High school in town Colusa HighTaft Union High

Students per teacherat that high school 20.0Highest 18.3Lowest

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.

Colusa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Colusa’s Town Square.

Taft neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Taft’s Town Square.

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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.

Colusa vs Taft

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $900 more a month in Colusa

Colusa places higher on 12 of 22 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

315 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Colusa and Taft

Towns like Colusa

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