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Compare towns

Willits vs Colfax

130 miles apart. The biggest differences: work in town (+34.5 pts in Willits) and age 65+ (+17.3 pts in Willits).

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Willits, CAHomes around $348KCalifornia · 4,920 people
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Colfax, CAHomes around $499KCalifornia · 2,407 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.

WillitsHomes around $348K
Housing$348K typical home54% below the CA typical home SchoolsBetter than 22%of CA districts Health76% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Willits →
ColfaxHomes around $499K
Housing$499K typical home35% below the CA typical home HealthHealthier than 76%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates HistorySettled in 19102 places on the National Register All about Colfax →
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.

Work in town+34.5 pts
More of Willits’s workers stay in town
Willits 39.5%Colfax 5%
Age 65++17.3 pts
Willits has more people 65 and up
Willits 30.1%Colfax 12.8%
Average commute12 min
Willits has the shorter commute
Colfax 26 minWillits 14 min
Rent+30%
Rent runs higher in Colfax
Colfax $1,553Willits $1,197
Jobs per worker+84%
Willits is more of a job hub
Willits 1.45Colfax 0.79
Street grid+54%
Colfax has the more walkable street grid
Colfax 91.5Willits 59.5
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $840 more a month in Colfax

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.

Willits$2,040/mo
Typical home $348K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.76% · or rent about $1,197/mo · Housing →
Colfax$2,890/mo
Typical home $499K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,553/mo · Housing →

The difference: $840 a month, about $10,100 a year, between Colfax and Willits.

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

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
C+WillitsSafer than 38% of U.S. towns –ColfaxNot graded
Schools
C−WillitsBetter than 22% of districts in the state –ColfaxNot graded
Health
C−WillitsHealthier than 24% of U.S. towns A−ColfaxHealthier than 76% of U.S. towns
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
WillitsColfax
Snow a year0″7″
January low37°F37°F
July high91°F92°F
Growing season (days)245d233d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)98th79th
Outdoors & history
WillitsColfax
Trails3 mi—
Conserved land1.9%—
Settled18881910
National Register places42
Archive photos616
Famous people born here6—
Community
WillitsColfax
Library hours a week41 hrs38 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

130 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WillitsCAColfaxCA
Willits ↔ Colfax130 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.

WillitsColfax
People
Population 4,920Highest 2,407Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2%Highest CA: +6.1% +1.6%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 42.9±8.8Highest 13% above CA 35.8±3.5Lowest 6% below CA
Willits and Colfax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.3%±6.2Lowest CA: 22% 29.2%±6.6Highest CA: 22%
Colfax and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 30.1%±7.7Highest CA: 15.7% 12.8%±3.1Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.7%Lowest CA: 37.1% 23.6%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.1%±2.3Lowest CA: 7.6% 3.7%±2.3Highest CA: 7.6%
Colfax and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $63,447±$8kLowest 36% below CA $72,788±$14kHighest 27% below CA
Colfax and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $371,100±$59kLowest 49% below CA $434,300±$24kHighest 41% below CA
Colfax and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,197±$181Lowest 41% below CA $1,553±$142Highest 24% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,827Lowest 45% below CA $2,837Highest 45% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.5%±17.5Lowest CA: 55.3% 58.1%±16.5Highest CA: 55.3%
Colfax and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.9%Lowest CA: 12% 13.1%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 40.9%Lowest CA: 55.9% 44.6%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest same as CA 1987Highest 11 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 14 minLowest 51% below CA 26 minHighest 8% below CA
Work from home 6.8%±4.7Lowest CA: 17.2% 13.8%±7.6Highest CA: 17.2%
Colfax and Willits are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 39.5%Highest 5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miLowest 33.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.45Highest 0.79Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Ukiah (13%)Sacramento (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ColfaxFew work in Willits
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.9%Highest 0.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.9 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.5Lowest 91.5Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #391 of 574 in CA—
School district Willits Unified—
High school in town Willits High—
Students per teacherat that high school 13.4 —
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.

Willits neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Historic Willits Landmarks

1 neighbor in Willits can answer.

Colfax neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Colfax’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Willits and Colfax

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Bordering Willits

B
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Brooktrails4,398 people · $372K homes

Towns like Willits

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Crescent City6,046 people · $307K homes
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Sonora4,919 people · $422K homes
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Fort Bragg7,032 people · $535K homes
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Gustine6,133 people · $442K 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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