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Compare towns

Taft vs Colusa

315 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.6× in Colusa) and home values (+48% in Colusa).

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Taft, CAHomes around $207KCalifornia · 7,125 people
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Colusa, CAHomes around $372KCalifornia · 6,505 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 $900 more a month in Colusa

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.

Taft$1,240/mo
Typical home $207K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.89% · or rent about $1,069/mo · Housing →
Colusa$2,140/mo
Typical home $372K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.59% · or rent about $1,132/mo · Housing →

The difference: $900 a month, about $10,800 a year, between Colusa and Taft.

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

Colusa places higher on 12 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.

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
TaftColusa
Snow a year0″0″
January low41°F38°F
July high99°F92°F
Growing season (days)330d293d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th56th
Outdoors & history
TaftColusa
Trails18 mi7 mi
Conserved land0.3%13.5%
Settled—1850
National Register places13
Archive photos—6
Famous people born here—8
Community
TaftColusa
Library hours a week20 hrs40 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

315 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Taft ↔ Colusa315 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.

TaftColusa
People
Population 7,125Highest 6,505Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +7.4%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 37.1±5.2Lowest about the CA average 38.1±3.7Highest about the CA average
Colusa and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.1%±5.6Lowest CA: 22% 30.2%±4.7Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 14.4%±6.4Lowest CA: 15.7% 17.4%±3.3Highest CA: 15.7%
Colusa and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 9%Lowest CA: 37.1% 15.8%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±2.6Highest CA: 7.6% 3.6%±1.6Lowest CA: 7.6%
Taft and Colusa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $72,772±$22kHighest 27% below CA $71,250±$11kLowest 28% below CA
Taft and Colusa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $252,600±$22kLowest 66% below CA $375,000±$29kHighest 49% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,069±$189Lowest 47% below CA $1,132±$74Highest 44% below CA
Colusa and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,244Highest 56% below CA $2,210Lowest 57% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.6%±17.6Lowest CA: 55.3% 68.4%±14.9Highest CA: 55.3%
Colusa and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.9%Lowest CA: 12% 18.1%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 55%Lowest CA: 55.9% 59.9%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 5 yrs older than CA 1972Highest 4 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 34% below CA 20 minHighest 31% below CA
Work from home 4.4%±4.6Highest CA: 17.2% 4%±3Lowest CA: 17.2%
Taft and Colusa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 27.6%Highest 25.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miHighest 13.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.15Highest 0.93Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Bakersfield (17%)Williams (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ColusaFew work in Taft
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.3%Lowest 13.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 18.3 miHighest 7.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 9Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 19.7Lowest 52.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #243 of 574 in CA#248 of 574 in CA
School district Taft City · Taft Union HighColusa Unified
High school in town Taft Union HighColusa High
Students per teacherat that high school 18.3Lowest 20.0Highest
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.

Taft neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Taft’s Town Square.

Colusa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Colusa’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Taft

Towns like Taft

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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