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Compare towns

Modesto vs Stockton

29 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (2.3× in Stockton).

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Modesto, CAHometown of 71 notable peopleCalifornia · 219,215 people
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Stockton, CAA history townCalifornia · 322,326 people
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.

The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Stockton places higher on 13 of 22 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Modesto$2,560/mo
Typical home $443K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,690/mo · Housing →
Stockton$2,500/mo
Typical home $427K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $1,577/mo · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Modesto and Stockton.

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.

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
ModestoStockton
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F39°F
July high93°F95°F
Growing season (days)351d305d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)69th54th
Outdoors & history
ModestoStockton
Conserved land5.4%3%
Settled18701849
National Register places417
Archive photos424
Famous people born here7146
Community
ModestoStockton
Library hours a week78 hrs48 hrs
Colleges in town14
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

29 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

ModestoStocktonModestoStockton
Modesto ↔ Stockton29 miles apart
Who commutes between them
2,393 Modesto residents work in Stockton (3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Modesto →
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.

ModestoStockton
People
Population 219,215Lowest 322,326Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.6%Lowest CA: +6.1% +10%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 35.1±0.5Highest 7% below CA 33.9±0.5Lowest 11% below CA
Kids under 18 26.2%±0.9Lowest CA: 22% 26.7%±0.6Highest CA: 22%
Stockton and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.4%±0.5Highest CA: 15.7% 13%±0.5Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.2%Highest CA: 37.1% 20%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±0.5Lowest CA: 7.6% 7%±0.4Highest CA: 7.6%
Stockton and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $79,891±$2kLowest 19% below CA $79,907±$2kHighest 19% below CA
Stockton and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $442,700±$5kHighest 40% below CA $440,900±$5kLowest 40% below CA
Modesto and Stockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,690±$33Highest 17% below CA $1,577±$34Lowest 23% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,835Lowest 45% below CA $3,174Highest 38% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.4%±2.7Highest CA: 55.3% 55.6%±2.8Lowest CA: 55.3%
Modesto and Stockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.3%Lowest CA: 12% 15.5%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.9%Highest CA: 55.9% 53.9%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1978Lowest 2 yrs newer than CA 1980Highest 4 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minLowest 5% above CA 32 minHighest 10% above CA
Work from home 8.4%±1Highest CA: 17.2% 8%±0.7Lowest CA: 17.2%
Modesto and Stockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 31.2%Lowest 32.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.8 miLowest 17.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.94Highest 0.88Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Ceres (4%)Lodi (4%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in StocktonFew work in Modesto
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.4%Highest 3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 28.2 miLowest 65.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 51Lowest 56Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 119Highest 97.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #405 of 574 in CA#308 of 574 in CA
School district Yosemite ROP · Aspire Vanguard College Preparatory Academy DistrictSan Joaquin County ROP · Stockton Collegiate International Secondary District
High school in town James C. Enochs HighLincoln High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.5Highest 20.9Lowest
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.

Modesto neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Modesto’s Town Square.

Stockton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Stockton’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Modesto

Towns like Modesto

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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