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%

Tehachapi$2,530/mo

Typical home $424K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.86% · or rent about $1,295/mo · Housing →

Coalinga$1,770/mo

Typical home $297K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.88% · or rent about $1,093/mo · Housing →

The difference: $760 a month, about $9,100 a year, between Tehachapi and Coalinga.

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

Tehachapi places higher on 12 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

C−TehachapiSafer than 17% of U.S. towns C+CoalingaSafer than 35% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−TehachapiBetter than 48% of districts in the state CCoalingaBetter than 31% of districts in the state

Health

C+TehachapiHealthier than 37% of U.S. towns DCoalingaHealthier than 14% of U.S. towns

12Tehachapi

10Coalinga

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

Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #790#31 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #252#566 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #272#599 SafestSafety · 411 towns #316#172 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #362#101 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #653#485 Most activeHealth · 844 towns #531#697 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #252#363

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

TehachapiCoalinga

Snow a year—0″

January low—38°F

July high—101°F

Growing season (days)—292d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)90th 91st

Outdoors & history

TehachapiCoalinga

Trails15 mi 3 mi

Conserved land1.8%0.9%

Settled1876 —

National Register places2 1

Archive photos18 20

Famous people born here4 17

Community

TehachapiCoalinga

Library hours a week32 hrs 33 hrs

Colleges in town—1

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

126 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

TehachapiCA CoalingaCA

Tehachapi ↔ Coalinga126 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

TehachapiCoalinga

People

Population 11,946Lowest 17,203Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -10.2%Lowest CA: +6.1% +31.5%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 39.1±2.7Highest 3% above CA 36.5±1.8Lowest 4% below CA

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

Kids under 18 19.8%±3.6Lowest CA: 22% 21.3%±3.1Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 13.4%±2.8Highest CA: 15.7% 10.3%±2.2Lowest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.5%Highest CA: 37.1% 12.7%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±1.5Lowest CA: 7.6% 8.5%±1.9Highest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $72,957±$13kLowest 26% below CA $75,451±$15kHighest 24% below CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $355,500±$13kHighest 52% below CA $262,400±$27kLowest 64% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,295±$129Highest 36% below CA $1,093±$110Lowest 46% below CA

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $3,074Highest 40% below CA $2,308Lowest 55% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 46.8%±9.7Highest CA: 55.3% 37.4%±11.2Lowest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 13.9%Lowest CA: 12% 21.7%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 58.5%Highest CA: 55.9% 53.6%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than CA 1984Highest 8 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 6% below CA 21 minLowest 27% below CA

Work from home 7.2%±3.5Highest CA: 17.2% 6.8%±3.2Lowest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 21.8%Lowest 36.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 37.8 miHighest 19.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.36Highest 1.03Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Bakersfield (9%)Fresno (7%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CoalingaFew work in Tehachapi

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.8%Highest 0.9%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 15.1 miHighest 2.9 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.5 miHighest 0.4 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 2Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 35.2Lowest 60.1Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #252 of 574 in CA #363 of 574 in CA

School district EPIC de Cesar Chavez District · Tehachapi UnifiedCoalinga-Huron Unified

High school in town Tehachapi HighCoalinga High

Students per teacherat that high school 22.5Highest 20.1Lowest

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.

Tehachapi neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tehachapi’s Town Square.

Coalinga neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Coalinga’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Tehachapi and Coalinga

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

Bordering Tehachapi

+ Compare

Golden Hills9,891 people · $410K homes

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Bear Valley Springs5,912 people · $496K homes

Towns like Tehachapi

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Anderson11,255 people · $283K homes

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Colusa6,505 people · $375K homes

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Exeter10,258 people · $308K homes

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Susanville14,177 people · $236K 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.

Tehachapi vs Coalinga

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $760 more a month in Tehachapi

Tehachapi places higher on 12 of 23 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

126 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Tehachapi and Coalinga

Bordering Tehachapi

Towns like Tehachapi

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