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Taft vs Taft Heights

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (57.5× in Taft) and street grid (7.8× in Taft Heights).

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Taft, CAHomes around $207KCalifornia · 7,125 people
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Taft Heights, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 1,291 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.

TaftHomes around $207K
Housing$207K typical home73% below the CA typical home SafetySafer than 12%of U.S. towns we grade Schools#243 for schools in CAof 574 towns All about Taft →
Taft HeightsOne of the healthiest towns
Health86% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Taft Heights →
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.

Jobs per worker57.5×
Taft is more of a job hub
Taft 1.15Taft Heights 0.02
Street grid7.8×
Taft Heights has the more walkable street grid
Taft Heights 153Taft 19.7
Size5.5×
Taft is the bigger place
Taft 7,125Taft Heights 1,291
Work in town+27.1 pts
More of Taft’s workers stay in town
Taft 27.6%Taft Heights 0.5%
Growth since 2010+11 pts
Taft Heights has grown faster since 2010
Taft Heights +2.6%Taft -8.4%
Typical home built24 yrs
Taft Heights’s homes are older
Taft 1971Taft Heights 1947
★ What stands out · Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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 –Taft HeightsNot graded
Schools
C+TaftBetter than 36% of districts in the state –Taft HeightsNot graded
Health
CTaftHealthier than 32% of U.S. towns DTaft HeightsHealthier than 14% of U.S. towns
Where they are

Taft and Taft Heights share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

TaftTaft HeightsTaftTaft Heights
Taft ↔ Taft Heights2.7 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
131 Taft Heights residents work in Taft (22.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Taft Heights →
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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 →
Taft Heights$1,210/mo
Typical home $194K (Census) · tax rate 1.20% · or rent about $1,066/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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.

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
TaftTaft Heights
Snow a year0″0″
January low41°F41°F
July high99°F99°F
Growing season (days)330d330d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th83rd
Outdoors & history
TaftTaft Heights
Trails18 mi—
Conserved land0.3%—
National Register places1—
Archive photos—1
Community
TaftTaft Heights
Library hours a week20 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.

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.

TaftTaft Heights
People
Population 7,125Highest 1,291Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +2.6%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 37.1±5.2Highest about the CA average 31.4±5.1Lowest 17% below CA
Taft and Taft Heights 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% 26.3%±9.6Highest CA: 22%
Taft Heights and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.4%±6.4Highest CA: 15.7% 8.4%±4.4Lowest CA: 15.7%
Taft and Taft Heights 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% 15.5%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±2.6Highest CA: 7.6% 3.5%±2.6Lowest CA: 7.6%
Taft and Taft Heights 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 $54,034±$9kLowest 45% below CA
Taft and Taft Heights are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $252,600±$22kHighest 66% below CA $193,800±$48kLowest 74% below CA
Taft and Taft Heights are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,069±$189Highest 47% below CA $1,066±$189Lowest 48% below CA
Taft and Taft Heights 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 $2,321Highest 55% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.6%±17.6Highest CA: 55.3% 48.8%±29.1Lowest CA: 55.3%
Taft and Taft Heights 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% 16.2%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 55%Highest CA: 55.9% 51.7%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 5 yrs older than CA 1947Lowest 29 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 34% below CA 21 minHighest 26% below CA
Work from home 4.4%±4.6Highest CA: 17.2% 0%±3Lowest CA: 17.2%
Taft and Taft Heights are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 27.6%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miLowest 29.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.15Highest 0.02Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Bakersfield (17%)Taft (23%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Taft Heights23% work in Taft
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.3%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 18.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 19.7Lowest 153Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #243 of 574 in CA—
School district Taft City · Taft Union High—
High school in town Taft Union High—
Students per teacherat that high school 18.3 —
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.

Taft Heights neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Taft Heights’s Town Square.

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Bordering Taft

S
+ Compare
South Taft2,939 people · $185K homes

Towns like Taft

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Exeter10,258 people · $308K homes
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Willows6,190 people · $282K homes
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Orland8,357 people · $342K homes
C
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Colusa6,505 people · $375K homes

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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