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Compare towns

Midway City vs Willits

491 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (8.1× in Willits) and home values (2.1× in Midway City).

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Midway City, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 7,999 people
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Willits, CAHomes around $348KCalifornia · 4,920 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.

Midway CityOne of the healthiest towns
Health66% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Midway City →
WillitsHomes around $348K
Housing$348K typical home54% below the CA typical home SchoolsBetter than 22%of CA districts Health76% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Willits →
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.

Jobs per worker8.1×
Willits is more of a job hub
Willits 1.45Midway City 0.18
Home values2.1×
Homes cost more in Midway City
Midway City $788,600Willits $371,100
Work in town+38 pts
More of Willits’s workers stay in town
Willits 39.5%Midway City 1.5%
Street grid2.7×
Midway City has the more walkable street grid
Midway City 159Willits 59.5
Property tax bill+57%
Tax bills are bigger in Midway City
Midway City $4,430Willits $2,827
Rent+35%
Rent runs higher in Midway City
Midway City $1,611Willits $1,197
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $2,460 more a month in Midway City

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.

Midway City$4,500/mo
Typical home $789K (Census) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $1,611/mo · Housing →
Willits$2,040/mo
Typical home $348K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.76% · or rent about $1,197/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,460 a month, about $29,500 a year, between Midway City and Willits.

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

Midway City 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
–Midway CityNot graded C+WillitsSafer than 38% of U.S. towns
Schools
–Midway CityNot graded C−WillitsBetter than 22% of districts in the state
Health
CMidway CityHealthier than 34% of U.S. towns C−WillitsHealthier than 24% of U.S. towns
11Midway City
7Willits

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

Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #34#762 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #141#599 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #28#489 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #182#605 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #121#502 Most affordableCost of living · 835 towns #531#167 Fewest smokersHealth · 844 towns #530#765 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #401#202

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Midway City’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
Midway CityWillits
Snow a year0″0″
January low49°F37°F
July high83°F91°F
Growing season (days)365d245d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)82nd98th
Outdoors & history
Midway CityWillits
Trails—3 mi
Conserved land—1.9%
Settled—1888
National Register places—4
Archive photos96
Famous people born here16
Community
Midway CityWillits
Library hours a week—41 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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

491 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Midway CityCAWillitsCA
Midway City ↔ Willits491 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.

Midway CityWillits
People
Population 7,999Highest 4,920Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4%Highest CA: +6.1% +2%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 42.5±7.3Lowest 12% above CA 42.9±8.8Highest 13% above CA
Willits and Midway City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.3%±4.7Lowest CA: 22% 22.3%±6.2Highest CA: 22%
Willits and Midway City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17.4%±3.4Lowest CA: 15.7% 30.1%±7.7Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.4%Highest CA: 37.1% 16.7%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±2.3Highest CA: 7.6% 2.1%±2.3Lowest CA: 7.6%
Midway City and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $66,635±$16kHighest 33% below CA $63,447±$8kLowest 36% below CA
Midway City and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $788,600±$91kHighest 7% above CA $371,100±$59kLowest 49% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,611±$199Highest 21% below CA $1,197±$181Lowest 41% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,430Highest 14% below CA $2,827Lowest 45% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 67.5%±13Highest CA: 55.3% 49.5%±17.5Lowest CA: 55.3%
Midway City and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 18%Highest CA: 12% 9.9%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 27.6%Lowest CA: 55.9% 40.9%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1973Lowest 3 yrs older than CA 1976Highest same as CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minHighest 21% below CA 14 minLowest 51% below CA
Work from home 8.9%±5.5Highest CA: 17.2% 6.8%±4.7Lowest CA: 17.2%
Midway City and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.5%Lowest 39.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miLowest 15.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.18Lowest 1.45Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Westminster (8%)Ukiah (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WillitsFew work in Midway City
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.2%Lowest 1.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 2.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 5Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 159Highest 59.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#391 of 574 in CA
School district —Willits Unified
High school in town —Willits High
Students per teacherat that high school — 13.4
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.

Midway City neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Midway City’s Town Square.

Willits neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Willits can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Midway City and Willits

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Bordering Midway City

+ Compare
Westminster89,860 people · $858K homes
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Huntington Beach195,240 people · $1.1M homes

Towns like Midway City

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Crescent City6,046 people · $307K homes
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Ukiah16,304 people · $458K homes
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Sonora4,919 people · $422K homes
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Hawaiian Gardens13,691 people · $554K 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.

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