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Compare towns

Pomona vs Modesto

307 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (4.9× in Modesto) and home values (+34% in Pomona).

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Pomona, CAHometown of 77 notable peopleCalifornia · 147,943 people
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Modesto, CAHometown of 71 notable peopleCalifornia · 219,215 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 · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,380 more a month in Pomona

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.

Pomona$3,930/mo
Typical home $682K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $1,810/mo · Housing →
Modesto$2,560/mo
Typical home $443K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,690/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,380 a month, about $16,500 a year, between Pomona and 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 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.

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
PomonaModesto
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F42°F
July high90°F93°F
Growing season (days)354d351d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)96th69th
Outdoors & history
PomonaModesto
Trails6 mi28 mi
Conserved land2.8%5.4%
Settled18881870
National Register places124
Archive photos174
Famous people born here7771
Community
PomonaModesto
Library hours a week34 hrs78 hrs
Colleges in town21
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

307 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Pomona ↔ Modesto307 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.

PomonaModesto
People
Population 147,943Lowest 219,215Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% +8.6%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 36±0.7Highest 5% below CA 35.1±0.5Lowest 7% below CA
Pomona and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.9%±1Lowest CA: 22% 26.2%±0.9Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 13.4%±0.8Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.4%±0.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Modesto and Pomona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.3%Lowest CA: 37.1% 21.2%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.3%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6% 6.5%±0.5Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $79,479±$3kLowest 20% below CA $79,891±$2kHighest 19% below CA
Modesto and Pomona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $593,800±$9kHighest 19% below CA $442,700±$5kLowest 40% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,810±$38Highest 11% below CA $1,690±$33Lowest 17% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,717Highest 27% below CA $2,835Lowest 45% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.4%±3Highest CA: 55.3% 57.4%±2.7Lowest CA: 55.3%
Pomona and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.3%Highest CA: 12% 13.3%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54%Lowest CA: 55.9% 58.9%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 9 yrs older than CA 1978Highest 2 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 11% above CA 30 minLowest 5% above CA
Work from home 9.3%±0.9Highest CA: 17.2% 8.4%±1Lowest CA: 17.2%
Pomona and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 10.8%Lowest 31.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miHighest 11.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.84Lowest 0.94Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (10%)Ceres (4%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ModestoFew work in Pomona
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.8%Lowest 5.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 5.8 miLowest 28.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 26Lowest 51Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 105Lowest 119Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #336 of 574 in CA#405 of 574 in CA
School district School of Arts and Enterprise District · Pomona UnifiedYosemite ROP · Aspire Vanguard College Preparatory Academy District
High school in town Garey HighJames C. Enochs High
Students per teacherat that high school 20.9Lowest 23.5Highest
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.

Pomona neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pomona’s Town Square.

Modesto neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Modesto’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Pomona

Towns like Pomona

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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