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Compare towns

Empire vs Gustine

27 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+68% in Gustine) and average commute (12 min in Empire).

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Empire, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 3,429 people
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Gustine, CAHomes around $422KCalifornia · 6,133 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.

EmpireOne of the healthiest towns
Health93% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Empire →
GustineHomes around $422K
Housing$422K typical home45% below the CA typical home SchoolsBetter than 68%of CA districts Outdoors#283 most walkable in CA0.3 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves All about Gustine →
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.

Property tax bill+68%
Tax bills are bigger in Gustine
Gustine $2,275Empire $1,353
Average commute12 min
Empire has the shorter commute
Gustine 34 minEmpire 23 min
Home values+32%
Homes cost more in Gustine
Gustine $441,700Empire $335,200
Growth since 2010+10.4 pts
Gustine has grown faster since 2010
Gustine +10.7%Empire +0.3%
Work in town+12.9 pts
More of Gustine’s workers stay in town
Gustine 13.6%Empire 0.7%
Street grid+56%
Gustine has the more walkable street grid
Gustine 92.8Empire 59.4
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $520 more a month in Gustine

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.

Empire$1,870/mo
Typical home $335K (Census) · tax rate 0.40% · or rent about $1,238/mo · Housing →
Gustine$2,390/mo
Typical home $422K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.52% · or rent about $1,395/mo · Housing →

The difference: $520 a month, about $6,300 a year, between Gustine and Empire.

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

Gustine places higher on 11 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.

Safety
–EmpireNot graded C+GustineSafer than 43% of U.S. towns
Schools
B−EmpireBetter than 48% of districts in the state B+GustineBetter than 68% of districts in the state
Health
DEmpireHealthier than 7% of U.S. towns C−GustineHealthier than 19% of U.S. towns
6Empire
11Gustine

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #162#714 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #632#171 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #443#211 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #685#469 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #493#283 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #420#568 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #804#666 Fewest smokersHealth · 844 towns #796#679

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Empire’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
EmpireGustine
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F38°F
July high93°F100°F
Growing season (days)351d273d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)70th85th
Outdoors & history
EmpireGustine
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land0.8%3.1%
Settled—1915
Community
EmpireGustine
Library hours a week30 hrs19 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

27 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

EmpireGustineEmpireGustine
Empire ↔ Gustine27 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.

EmpireGustine
People
Population 3,429Lowest 6,133Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.3%Lowest CA: +6.1% +10.7%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 41.1±8.4Lowest 8% above CA 44.1±6.6Highest 16% above CA
Gustine and Empire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.6%±5.7Lowest CA: 22% 19.7%±7.6Highest CA: 22%
Gustine and Empire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.1%±4.7Lowest CA: 15.7% 17.3%±4.4Highest CA: 15.7%
Gustine and Empire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.7%Lowest CA: 37.1% 7.9%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.2%±2.3Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.4%±5.4Highest CA: 7.6%
Gustine and Empire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $52,563±$23kLowest 47% below CA $59,532±$14kHighest 40% below CA
Gustine and Empire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $335,200±$16kLowest 54% below CA $441,700±$26kHighest 40% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,238±$264Lowest 39% below CA $1,395±$190Highest 31% below CA
Gustine and Empire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,353Lowest 74% below CA $2,275Highest 56% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 72.2%±54.8Highest CA: 55.3% 35.4%±21.7Lowest CA: 55.3%
Empire and Gustine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 22.3%Highest CA: 12% 4%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 60.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 56.6%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Lowest 4 yrs older than CA 1988Highest 12 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 21% below CA 34 minHighest 20% above CA
Work from home 0%±1.1Lowest CA: 17.2% 1.9%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Gustine and Empire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.7%Lowest 13.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 30.8 miHighest 28.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.51Lowest 0.55Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Modesto (18%)Newman (5%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in GustineFew work in Empire
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Lowest 3.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.4 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.4Lowest 92.8Highest
Schools
School district Empire Union Elementary · Stanislaus County Office of EducationGustine Unified
High school in town Teel School in EmpireGustine High
Students per teacherat that high school 9.6Lowest 19.5Highest
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.

Empire neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Empire’s Town Square.

Gustine neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gustine’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Empire and Gustine

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

Bordering Empire

+ Compare
Modesto219,215 people · $443K homes

Towns like Empire

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Portola2,441 people · $231K homes
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Dos Palos5,765 people · $300K homes
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Rio Dell3,349 people · $302K homes
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Willows6,190 people · $282K homes

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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