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.

Down paymentRate%

Taft$1,240/mo

Typical home $207K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.89% · or rent about $1,069/mo · Housing →

Gustine$2,390/mo

Typical home $422K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.52% · or rent about $1,395/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,150 a month, about $13,900 a year, between Gustine 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

Taft places higher on 11 of 20 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

DTaftSafer than 12% of U.S. towns C+GustineSafer than 43% of U.S. towns

Schools

C+TaftBetter than 36% of districts in the state B+GustineBetter than 68% of districts in the state

Health

CTaftHealthier than 32% of U.S. towns C−GustineHealthier than 19% of U.S. towns

11Taft

7Gustine

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #60#714 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #785#171 SafestSafety · 411 towns #350#119 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #750#283 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #738#469 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #376#211 Most affordableCost of living · 835 towns #47#238 Most activeHealth · 844 towns #573#728

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Taft’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

TaftGustine

Snow a year0″0″

January low41°F 38°F

July high99°F 100°F

Growing season (days)330d 273d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th 85th

Outdoors & history

TaftGustine

Trails18 mi 0 mi

Conserved land0.3%3.1%

Settled—1915

National Register places1 —

Community

TaftGustine

Library hours a week20 hrs 19 hrs

Colleges in town1 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

171 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

TaftCA GustineCA

Taft ↔ Gustine171 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.

Only big differences vs California average

TaftGustine

People

Population 7,125Highest 6,133Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +10.7%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 37.1±5.2Lowest about the CA average 44.1±6.6Highest 16% above CA

Gustine 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% 19.7%±7.6Highest CA: 22%

Gustine and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 14.4%±6.4Lowest CA: 15.7% 17.3%±4.4Highest CA: 15.7%

Gustine 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%Highest CA: 37.1% 7.9%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±2.6Highest CA: 7.6% 6.4%±5.4Lowest CA: 7.6%

Taft and Gustine 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 $59,532±$14kLowest 40% below CA

Taft and Gustine 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 $441,700±$26kHighest 40% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,069±$189Lowest 47% below CA $1,395±$190Highest 31% below CA

Gustine and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,244Lowest 56% below CA $2,275Highest 56% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.6%±17.6Highest CA: 55.3% 35.4%±21.7Lowest CA: 55.3%

Taft and Gustine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 16.9%Highest CA: 12% 4%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 55%Lowest CA: 55.9% 56.6%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 5 yrs older than CA 1988Highest 12 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 34% below CA 34 minHighest 20% above CA

Work from home 4.4%±4.6Highest CA: 17.2% 1.9%±2.2Lowest CA: 17.2%

Taft and Gustine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 27.6%Highest 13.6%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miLowest 28.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.15Highest 0.55Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Bakersfield (17%)Newman (5%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in GustineFew work in Taft

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.3%Lowest 3.1%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 18.3 miHighest 0.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 4Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 19.7Lowest 92.8Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #243 of 574 in CA—

School district Taft City · Taft Union HighGustine Unified

High school in town Taft Union HighGustine High

Students per teacherat that high school 18.3Lowest 19.5Highest

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.

Taft neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Taft’s Town Square.

Gustine neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gustine’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Taft and Gustine

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Taft

+ Compare

South Taft2,939 people · $185K homes

+ Compare

Taft Heights1,291 people · $194K homes

Towns like Taft

+ Compare

Exeter10,258 people · $308K homes

+ Compare

Willows6,190 people · $282K homes

+ Compare

Orland8,357 people · $342K homes

+ Compare

Colusa6,505 people · $375K 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.

Taft vs Gustine

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $1,150 more a month in Gustine

Taft places higher on 11 of 20 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

171 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Taft and Gustine

Bordering Taft

Towns like Taft

Post to Taft

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