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West Modesto vs Modesto

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (36.7× in Modesto) and jobs per worker (5.5× in Modesto).

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West Modesto, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 5,978 people
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Modesto, CAHometown of 71 notable peopleCalifornia · 219,215 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 $820 more a month in Modesto

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.

West Modesto$1,740/mo
Typical home $305K (Census) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $1,432/mo · Housing →
Modesto$2,560/mo
Typical home $443K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,690/mo · Housing →

The difference: $820 a month, about $9,800 a year, between Modesto and West Modesto.

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

Modesto places higher on 11 of 18 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.

Where they are

West Modesto and Modesto share a border

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

West ModestoModestoWest ModestoModesto
West Modesto ↔ Modesto2.1 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
431 West Modesto residents work in Modesto (21.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in West Modesto →
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
West ModestoModesto
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F42°F
July high93°F93°F
Growing season (days)351d351d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)94th69th
Outdoors & history
West ModestoModesto
Trails0 mi28 mi
Conserved land2.7%5.4%
Settled—1870
National Register places—4
Archive photos—4
Famous people born here—71
Community
West ModestoModesto
Library hours a week—78 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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.

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.

West ModestoModesto
People
Population 5,978Lowest 219,215Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5%Lowest CA: +6.1% +8.6%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 31.2±4.2Lowest 18% below CA 35.1±0.5Highest 7% below CA
Modesto and West Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.3%±3.6Highest CA: 22% 26.2%±0.9Lowest CA: 22%
West Modesto and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9.6%±2.8Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.4%±0.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 9.7%Lowest CA: 37.1% 21.2%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.7%±2.3Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.5%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Modesto and West Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $61,440±$7kLowest 38% below CA $79,891±$2kHighest 19% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $304,700±$39kLowest 59% below CA $442,700±$5kHighest 40% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,432±$96Lowest 30% below CA $1,690±$33Highest 17% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,709Lowest 67% below CA $2,835Highest 45% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.8%±15.4Lowest CA: 55.3% 57.4%±2.7Highest CA: 55.3%
Modesto and West Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.4%Lowest CA: 12% 13.3%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 55.5%Lowest CA: 55.9% 58.9%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1953Lowest 23 yrs older than CA 1978Highest 2 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 7% above CA 30 minLowest 5% above CA
Work from home 9.2%±4.1Highest CA: 17.2% 8.4%±1Lowest CA: 17.2%
West Modesto and Modesto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.2%Lowest 31.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miHighest 11.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.17Lowest 0.94Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Modesto (21%)Ceres (4%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 21% work in ModestoFew work in West Modesto
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.7%Lowest 5.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 28.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 51Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 63.4Lowest 119Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#405 of 574 in CA
School district —Yosemite ROP · Aspire Vanguard College Preparatory Academy District
High school in town —James C. Enochs High
Students per teacherat that high school — 23.5
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.

West Modesto neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Rainy Day Alternatives

1 neighbor in West Modesto can answer.

Modesto neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Modesto’s Town Square.

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Bordering West Modesto

Towns like West Modesto

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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