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Compare towns

Porterville vs Madera

85 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+26% in Madera) and growth since 2010 (+7.8 pts in Porterville).

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Porterville, CAHomes around $330KCalifornia · 63,157 people
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Madera, CAHomes around $426KCalifornia · 67,831 people
Swap order
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.

PortervilleHomes around $330K
Housing$330K typical home57% below the CA typical home College town1 collegePorterville College Outdoors#400 most walkable in CA4.5 miles of trails across 10 parks and preserves All about Porterville →
MaderaHomes around $426K
Housing$426K typical home44% below the CA typical home SchoolsBetter than 68%of CA districts Health90% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Madera →
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.

Home values+26%
Homes cost more in Madera
Madera $359,900Porterville $285,700
Growth since 2010+7.8 pts
Porterville has grown faster since 2010
Porterville +15.6%Madera +7.8%
Rent+18%
Rent runs higher in Madera
Madera $1,353Porterville $1,148
Property tax bill+18%
Tax bills are bigger in Madera
Madera $2,295Porterville $1,946
Work from home+4.3 pts
More people work from home in Madera
Madera 6.9%Porterville 2.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $540 more a month in Madera

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.

Porterville$1,920/mo
Typical home $330K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.68% · or rent about $1,148/mo · Housing →
Madera$2,460/mo
Typical home $426K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,353/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
CPortervilleSafer than 26% of U.S. towns CMaderaSafer than 28% of U.S. towns
Schools
B−PortervilleBetter than 49% of districts in the state B+MaderaBetter than 68% of districts in the state
Health
C−PortervilleHealthier than 20% of U.S. towns DMaderaHealthier than 10% of U.S. towns
14Porterville
9Madera

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

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

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Porterville’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
PortervilleMadera
Snow a year0″0″
January low37°F38°F
July high96°F96°F
Growing season (days)284d281d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th80th
Outdoors & history
PortervilleMadera
Trails5 mi6 mi
Conserved land3.8%2.5%
Settled—1876
National Register places31
Archive photos189
Famous people born here2728
Community
PortervilleMadera
Library hours a week65 hrs41 hrs
Colleges in town1—
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

85 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PortervilleCAMaderaCA
Porterville ↔ Madera85 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.

PortervilleMadera
People
Population 63,157Lowest 67,831Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +15.6%Highest CA: +6.1% +7.8%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 30.9±1.4Highest 18% below CA 30.4±0.7Lowest 20% 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 30.5%±2.1Lowest CA: 22% 30.8%±1.6Highest CA: 22%
Madera and Porterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.2%±1.2Highest CA: 15.7% 9.6%±0.9Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14.5%Highest CA: 37.1% 10.9%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.7%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 8.1%±1.1Highest 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 $60,461±$5kLowest 39% below CA $63,933±$5kHighest 36% 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 $285,700±$11kLowest 61% below CA $359,900±$9kHighest 51% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,148±$39Lowest 44% below CA $1,353±$58Highest 34% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,946Lowest 62% below CA $2,295Highest 55% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.6%±8.3Lowest CA: 55.3% 60.3%±4.9Highest 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 17.3%Lowest CA: 12% 25.6%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54.3%Lowest CA: 55.9% 54.7%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Lowest 4 yrs newer than CA 1991Highest 15 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 18% below CA 26 minHighest 10% below CA
Work from home 2.6%±0.8Lowest CA: 17.2% 6.9%±1.4Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 31.4%Highest 27.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 mi 18.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.75Lowest 0.84Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Visalia (10%)Fresno (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MaderaFew work in Porterville
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.8%Highest 2.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.5 miLowest 5.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 10Highest 9Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 74.2Lowest 86.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #463 of 574 in CA#495 of 574 in CA
School district Porterville Unified · Burton ElementarySherman Thomas STEM Academy District · Madera Unified
High school in town Porterville HighMatilda Torres High
Students per teacherat that high school 24.8Highest 20.5Lowest
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.

Porterville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Porterville’s Town Square.

Madera neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Madera’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Porterville

E
+ Compare
East Porterville5,066 people · $258K homes

Towns like Porterville

+ Compare
Tulare70,945 people · $330K homes
+ Compare
El Centro44,240 people · $323K homes
+ Compare
Colton53,772 people · $444K homes
+ Compare
Los Banos47,593 people · $441K 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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