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Compare towns

Wasco vs Selma

69 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (6× in Wasco) and street grid (2.2× in Selma).

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Wasco, CAHomes around $317KCalifornia · 26,558 people
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Selma, CAHomes around $362KCalifornia · 24,659 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 differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Selma places higher on 12 of 21 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $300 more a month in Selma

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.

Wasco$1,850/mo
Typical home $317K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.73% · or rent about $1,089/mo · Housing →
Selma$2,150/mo
Typical home $362K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · or rent about $1,232/mo · Housing →

The difference: $300 a month, about $3,500 a year, between Selma and Wasco.

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
WascoSelma
Snow a year0″0″
January low39°F41°F
July high100°F98°F
Growing season (days)315d337d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th47th
Outdoors & history
WascoSelma
Trails5 mi1 mi
Conserved land0.8%2%
Settled1945—
National Register places1—
Archive photos121
Famous people born here514
Community
WascoSelma
Library hours a week13 hrs52 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

69 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Wasco ↔ Selma69 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.

WascoSelma
People
Population 26,558Highest 24,659Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.9%Lowest CA: +6.1% +6.3%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 30.6±1.1Lowest 19% below CA 32.9±1.9Highest 13% below CA
Selma and Wasco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.4%±2.7Highest CA: 22% 25%±3.1Lowest CA: 22%
Wasco and Selma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 6.4%±1.3Lowest CA: 15.7% 12.9%±1.6Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 6.2%Lowest CA: 37.1% 10%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±1Lowest CA: 7.6% 8.1%±1.6Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $51,727±$9kLowest 48% below CA $60,241±$6kHighest 39% below CA
Selma and Wasco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $273,600±$12kLowest 63% below CA $315,300±$20kHighest 57% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,089±$81Lowest 47% below CA $1,232±$110Highest 39% below CA
Selma and Wasco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,989Lowest 61% below CA $2,621Highest 49% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.8%±11.1Highest CA: 55.3% 46.9%±9.5Lowest CA: 55.3%
Wasco and Selma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 18.4%Lowest CA: 12% 19%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.3%Lowest CA: 55.9% 60.4%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983 7 yrs newer than CA 1983 7 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 19% below CA 24 minHighest 16% below CA
Work from home 2.9%±1.9Lowest CA: 17.2% 4.2%±1.8Highest CA: 17.2%
Selma and Wasco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 16.7%Highest 12.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.3 miHighest 15.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.69 0.69
Top workplaceoutside town Bakersfield (16%)Fresno (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SelmaFew work in Wasco
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Lowest 2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 4.8 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 52.8Lowest 114Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #470 of 574 in CA#471 of 574 in CA
School district Wasco Union Elementary · Wasco Union HighSelma Unified
High school in town Wasco HighSelma High
Students per teacherat that high school 21.5Highest 19.5Lowest
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.

Wasco neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

What used to be there

1 neighbor in Wasco can answer.

Selma neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Selma’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Wasco and Selma

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

Towns like Wasco

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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