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Compare towns

Ferndale vs Cayucos

400 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+87% in Cayucos) and property tax bill (+88% in Cayucos).

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Ferndale, CAA history townCalifornia · 1,552 people
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Cayucos, CAHomes around $1.32MCalifornia · 2,427 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.

FerndaleA history town
HistorySettled in 18937 places on the National Register Housing$498K typical home35% below the CA typical home SchoolsBetter than 32%of CA districts All about Ferndale →
CayucosHomes around $1.32M
Housing$1.32M typical home73% above the CA typical home HealthHealthier than 87%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 82%of CA districts All about Cayucos →
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.

Home values+87%
Homes cost more in Cayucos
Cayucos $1,011,900Ferndale $542,000
Property tax bill+88%
Tax bills are bigger in Cayucos
Cayucos $5,896Ferndale $3,130
Trails3.4×
Cayucos has more miles of trail
Cayucos 12.3 miFerndale 3.6 mi
Seasonal homes+35.8 pts
Cayucos has more second homes
Cayucos 39.6%Ferndale 3.8%
Rent+53%
Rent runs higher in Cayucos
Cayucos $1,571Ferndale $1,028
Average commute16 min
Ferndale has the shorter commute
Cayucos 42 minFerndale 26 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $4,740 more a month in Cayucos

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.

Ferndale$2,850/mo
Typical home $498K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.58% · or rent about $1,028/mo · Housing →
Cayucos$7,590/mo
Typical home $1.32M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.58% · or rent about $1,571/mo · Housing →

The difference: $4,740 a month, about $56,800 a year, between Cayucos and Ferndale.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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
B−FerndaleSafer than 51% of U.S. towns –CayucosNot graded
Schools
CFerndaleBetter than 32% of districts in the state A−CayucosBetter than 82% of districts in the state
Health
C+FerndaleHealthier than 43% of U.S. towns ACayucosHealthier than 87% of U.S. towns
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
FerndaleCayucos
Snow a year0″0″
January low41°F46°F
July high63°F67°F
Growing season (days)293d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)98th86th
Outdoors & history
FerndaleCayucos
Trails4 mi12 mi
Conserved land15.2%15.7%
Settled1893—
National Register places71
Archive photos1417
Famous people born here7—
Community
FerndaleCayucos
Library hours a week32 hrs27 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

400 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

FerndaleCACayucosCA
Ferndale ↔ Cayucos400 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.

FerndaleCayucos
People
Population 1,552Lowest 2,427Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2%Highest CA: +6.1% -3.4%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 61.2±3.5Highest 61% above CA 59.4±5Lowest 57% above CA
Ferndale and Cayucos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 7.7%±2.9Lowest CA: 22% 8.5%±4.7Highest CA: 22%
Cayucos and Ferndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 36%±4.1Highest CA: 15.7% 35.4%±5.7Lowest CA: 15.7%
Ferndale and Cayucos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 32.1%Lowest CA: 37.1% 44.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±3Lowest CA: 7.6% 3.7%±2.4Highest CA: 7.6%
Cayucos and Ferndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $63,142±$14kLowest 36% below CA $87,235±$16kHighest 12% below CA
Cayucos and Ferndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $542,000±$86kLowest 26% below CA $1,011,900±$190kHighest 38% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,028±$100Lowest 50% below CA $1,571±$325Highest 23% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,130Lowest 39% below CA $5,896Highest 15% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.5%±18.9Lowest CA: 55.3% 51.4%±19.7Highest CA: 55.3%
Cayucos and Ferndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13%Highest CA: 12% 9.3%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 60.6%Highest CA: 55.9% 60.4%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1953Lowest 23 yrs older than CA 1973Highest 3 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 8% below CA 42 minHighest 46% above CA
Work from home 16%±9.7Lowest CA: 17.2% 26.4%±9.9Highest CA: 17.2%
Cayucos and Ferndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 13.6%Highest 12.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miLowest 18.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.11Highest 0.51Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Eureka (19%)San Luis Obispo (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CayucosFew work in Ferndale
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15.2%Lowest 15.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.6 miLowest 12.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.0 miLowest 3.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.0Highest 40.6Lowest
Schools
School district Ferndale UnifiedCayucos Elementary
High school in town Ferndale HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 11.3 —
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.

Ferndale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ferndale’s Town Square.

Cayucos neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cayucos’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Ferndale

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Blue Lake982 people · $445K homes
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Yountville3,348 people · $802K homes
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Mount Shasta3,182 people · $330K homes
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Dunsmuir1,407 people · $279K 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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