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Compare towns

Gustine vs Empire

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

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

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 →
EmpireOne of the healthiest towns
Health93% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Empire →
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.

Gustine$2,390/mo
Typical home $422K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.52% · or rent about $1,395/mo · Housing →
Empire$1,870/mo
Typical home $335K (Census) · tax rate 0.40% · or rent about $1,238/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
C+GustineSafer than 43% of U.S. towns –EmpireNot graded
Schools
B+GustineBetter than 68% of districts in the state B−EmpireBetter than 48% of districts in the state
Health
C−GustineHealthier than 19% of U.S. towns DEmpireHealthier than 7% of U.S. towns
11Gustine
6Empire

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

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

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Gustine’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
GustineEmpire
Snow a year0″0″
January low38°F42°F
July high100°F93°F
Growing season (days)273d351d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th70th
Outdoors & history
GustineEmpire
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land3.1%0.8%
Settled1915—
Community
GustineEmpire
Library hours a week19 hrs30 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.

GustineEmpireGustineEmpire
Gustine ↔ Empire27 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.

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

Gustine neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gustine’s Town Square.

Empire neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Empire’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Gustine

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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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