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Compare towns

Shafter vs Patterson

175 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (21.3× in Shafter) and street grid (5.9× in Patterson).

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Shafter, CAHomes around $387KCalifornia · 21,193 people
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Patterson, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 24,693 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 $770 more a month in Patterson

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.

Shafter$2,280/mo
Typical home $387K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $1,253/mo · Housing →
Patterson$3,050/mo
Typical home $502K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $1,655/mo · Housing →

The difference: $770 a month, about $9,200 a year, between Patterson and Shafter.

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

Patterson places higher on 15 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
ShafterPatterson
Snow a year0″0″
January low41°F42°F
July high98°F93°F
Growing season (days)334d351d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)56th60th
Outdoors & history
ShafterPatterson
Trails73 mi3 mi
Conserved land0.2%1.8%
Settled19381909
National Register places32
Archive photos177
Famous people born here23
Community
ShafterPatterson
Library hours a week55 hrs30 hrs
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

175 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Shafter ↔ Patterson175 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.

ShafterPatterson
People
Population 21,193Lowest 24,693Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +17.5%Highest CA: +6.1% +16.5%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 28.1±1.1Lowest 26% below CA 30.9±1.6Highest 18% below CA
Kids under 18 33.5%±3.4Highest CA: 22% 32.7%±3.4Lowest CA: 22%
Shafter and Patterson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 7.5%±1.5Lowest CA: 15.7% 10.2%±1.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Patterson and Shafter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12.2%Lowest CA: 37.1% 13.6%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.7%±1.7Highest CA: 7.6% 6.2%±1.3Lowest CA: 7.6%
Shafter and Patterson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $71,215±$7kLowest 28% below CA $93,650±$15kHighest 6% below CA
Patterson and Shafter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $335,800±$20kLowest 54% below CA $450,200±$20kHighest 39% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,253±$150Lowest 38% below CA $1,655±$250Highest 19% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,634Lowest 49% below CA $4,465Highest 13% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.6%±11.5Highest CA: 55.3% 40.6%±10.6Lowest CA: 55.3%
Shafter and Patterson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 20.7%Highest CA: 12% 9%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 64.7%Lowest CA: 55.9% 71.3%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1993Lowest 17 yrs newer than CA 2000Highest 24 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 19% below CA 42 minHighest 45% above CA
Work from home 4.4%±1.7Lowest CA: 17.2% 11.3%±4.3Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 17.3%Highest 15.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miLowest 35.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.66Highest 0.74Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Bakersfield (23%)Modesto (6%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PattersonFew work in Shafter
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.2%Lowest 1.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 72.5 miHighest 3.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.9 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Lowest 22Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 19.5Lowest 115Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #403 of 574 in CA#184 of 574 in CA
School district Grow Academy Shafter District · Kern HighPatterson Joint Unified
High school in town Shafter HighPatterson High
Students per teacherat that high school 21.7Highest 20.8Lowest
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.

Shafter neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Shafter’s Town Square.

Patterson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Patterson’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Shafter

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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