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%

Madera$2,460/mo

Typical home $426K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,353/mo · Housing →

Porterville$1,920/mo

Typical home $330K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.68% · or rent about $1,148/mo · Housing →

The difference: $540 a month, about $6,500 a year, between Madera and Porterville.

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

Porterville places higher on 14 of 23 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

CMaderaSafer than 28% of U.S. towns CPortervilleSafer than 26% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+MaderaBetter than 68% of districts in the state B−PortervilleBetter than 49% of districts in the state

Health

DMaderaHealthier than 10% of U.S. towns C−PortervilleHealthier than 20% of U.S. towns

9Madera

14Porterville

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #320#178 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #288#568 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #603#799 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #260#92 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #211#344 Most remote workersWork · 801 towns #633#773 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #766#666 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #509#419

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

MaderaPorterville

Snow a year0″0″

January low38°F 37°F

July high96°F 96°F

Growing season (days)281d 284d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th 89th

Outdoors & history

MaderaPorterville

Trails6 mi 5 mi

Conserved land2.5%3.8%

Settled1876 —

National Register places1 3

Archive photos9 12

Famous people born here28 27

Community

MaderaPorterville

Library hours a week41 hrs 65 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

85 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MaderaCA PortervilleCA

Madera ↔ Porterville85 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

MaderaPorterville

People

Population 67,831Highest 63,157Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +7.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% +15.6%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 30.4±0.7Lowest 20% below CA 30.9±1.4Highest 18% below CA

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

Kids under 18 30.8%±1.6Highest CA: 22% 30.5%±2.1Lowest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 9.6%±0.9Lowest CA: 15.7% 12.2%±1.2Highest CA: 15.7%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 10.9%Lowest CA: 37.1% 14.5%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.1%±1.1Highest CA: 7.6% 6.7%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $63,933±$5kHighest 36% below CA $60,461±$5kLowest 39% below CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $359,900±$9kHighest 51% below CA $285,700±$11kLowest 61% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,353±$58Highest 34% below CA $1,148±$39Lowest 44% below CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,295Highest 55% below CA $1,946Lowest 62% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.3%±4.9Highest CA: 55.3% 54.6%±8.3Lowest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 25.6%Highest CA: 12% 17.3%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 54.7%Highest CA: 55.9% 54.3%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1991Highest 15 yrs newer than CA 1980Lowest 4 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 10% below CA 24 minLowest 18% below CA

Work from home 6.9%±1.4Highest CA: 17.2% 2.6%±0.8Lowest CA: 17.2%

Work in townworking residents 27.4%Lowest 31.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 mi 18.3 mi

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.84Highest 0.75Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Fresno (18%)Visalia (10%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PortervilleFew work in Madera

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.5%Lowest 3.8%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 5.6 miHighest 4.5 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Lowest 10Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 86.1Highest 74.2Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #495 of 574 in CA #463 of 574 in CA

School district Sherman Thomas STEM Academy District · Madera UnifiedPorterville Unified · Burton Elementary

High school in town Matilda Torres HighPorterville High

Students per teacherat that high school 20.5Lowest 24.8Highest

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.

Madera neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Madera’s Town Square.

Porterville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Porterville’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Madera and Porterville

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

Bordering Madera

+ Compare

Madera Acres9,846 people · $347K homes

+ Compare

Parkwood1,758 people · $238K homes

+ Compare

Parksdale2,885 people · $275K homes

Towns like Madera

+ Compare

Tulare70,945 people · $330K homes

+ Compare

Los Banos47,593 people · $441K homes

+ Compare

El Centro44,240 people · $323K homes

+ Compare

Colton53,772 people · $444K 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.

Madera vs Porterville

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $540 more a month in Madera

Porterville places higher on 14 of 23 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

85 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Madera and Porterville

Bordering Madera

Towns like Madera

Post to Madera

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