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Modesto vs West Modesto

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (36.7× in Modesto) and jobs per worker (5.5× in Modesto).

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Modesto, CAHometown of 71 notable peopleCalifornia · 219,215 people
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West Modesto, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 5,978 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 part ways

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

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $820 more a month in Modesto

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 →
West Modesto$1,740/mo
Typical home $305K (Census) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $1,432/mo · Housing →

The difference: $820 a month, about $9,800 a year, between Modesto and West Modesto.

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

Modesto 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.

Where they are

Modesto and West Modesto share a border

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

ModestoWest ModestoModestoWest Modesto
Modesto ↔ West Modesto2.1 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
431 West Modesto residents work in Modesto (21.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in West Modesto →
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
ModestoWest Modesto
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F42°F
July high93°F93°F
Growing season (days)351d351d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)69th94th
Outdoors & history
ModestoWest Modesto
Trails28 mi0 mi
Conserved land5.4%2.7%
Settled1870—
National Register places4—
Archive photos4—
Famous people born here71—
Community
ModestoWest Modesto
Library hours a week78 hrs—
Colleges in town1—
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.

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.

ModestoWest Modesto
People
Population 219,215Highest 5,978Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.6%Highest CA: +6.1% +5%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 35.1±0.5Highest 7% below CA 31.2±4.2Lowest 18% below CA
Modesto and West Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.2%±0.9Lowest CA: 22% 29.3%±3.6Highest CA: 22%
West Modesto 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% 9.6%±2.8Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.2%Highest CA: 37.1% 9.7%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6% 4.7%±2.3Lowest CA: 7.6%
Modesto and West 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±$2kHighest 19% below CA $61,440±$7kLowest 38% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $442,700±$5kHighest 40% below CA $304,700±$39kLowest 59% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,690±$33Highest 17% below CA $1,432±$96Lowest 30% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,835Highest 45% below CA $1,709Lowest 67% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.4%±2.7Highest CA: 55.3% 50.8%±15.4Lowest CA: 55.3%
Modesto and West Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.3%Highest CA: 12% 12.4%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.9%Highest CA: 55.9% 55.5%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1978Highest 2 yrs newer than CA 1953Lowest 23 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minLowest 5% above CA 31 minHighest 7% above CA
Work from home 8.4%±1Lowest CA: 17.2% 9.2%±4.1Highest CA: 17.2%
West Modesto and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 31.2%Highest 1.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.8 miLowest 23.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.94Highest 0.17Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Ceres (4%)Modesto (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in West Modesto21% work in Modesto
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.4%Highest 2.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 28.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 51Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 119Highest 63.4Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #405 of 574 in CA—
School district Yosemite ROP · Aspire Vanguard College Preparatory Academy District—
High school in town James C. Enochs High—
Students per teacherat that high school 23.5 —
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.

West Modesto neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Rainy Day Alternatives

1 neighbor in West Modesto can answer.

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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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