The 10 Worst Small Towns In California For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in CA are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 35,858 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in California.

Most Americans have never been to California. However, as the people who live there know, California is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, California has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Golden State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 375 of California's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in California where you'd never want to live:

These are the worst small towns in California for 2022:

  1. Oasis
  2. Thermal
  3. Weedpatch
  4. Woodville
  5. North Shore
  6. Poplar-Cotton Center
  7. Covelo
  8. Bodfish
  9. Mojave
  10. Gerber

So what is the worst small town to call home in California for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Oasis is the worst small town to live in California.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since California has its stuff figured out.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in California or the worst places to live in California.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In California For 2022

1. Oasis

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,554
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $28,100 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.7% (20th worst)
More on Oasis:  Data

2. Thermal

Thermal, CA

Source: Wikipedia
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,371
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $150,200 (44th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 27.1% (5th worst)
More on Thermal:  Data | Photos

3. Weedpatch

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,879
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $112,300 (16th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 21.9% (13th worst)
More on Weedpatch:  Data

4. Woodville

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,836
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $125,500 (26th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.0% (35th worst)
More on Woodville:  Data

5. North Shore

North Shore, CA

Source: Wikipedia
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,580
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $140,700 (36th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.1% (53rd worst)
More on North Shore:  Data | Photos

6. Poplar-Cotton Center

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,840
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $130,500 (29th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 37.1% (2nd worst)
More on Poplar-Cotton Center:  Data

7. Covelo

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,352
Rank Last Year: 28 (Up 21)
Median Home Value: $243,600 (114th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.4% (4worst)
More on Covelo:  Data

8. Bodfish

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,164
Rank Last Year: 32 (Up 24)
Median Home Value: $90,900 (9th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 20.8% (17th worst)
More on Bodfish:  Data

9. Mojave

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,780
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $118,400 (20th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.6% (73rd worst)
More on Mojave:  Data

10. Gerber

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,084
Rank Last Year: 26 (Up 16)
Median Home Value: $113,400 (18th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.7% (2worst)
More on Gerber:  Data

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in California, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in California for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 375 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In California

If you're analyzing teeny places in the Golden State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in California, according to science:

  1. Belvedere (Pop. 2,246)
  2. Castle Hill (Pop. 1,164)
  3. Emerald Lake Hills (Pop. 4,893)

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In California

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Oasis 2,554 19.7% $28,100
2 Thermal 1,371 27.1% $150,200
3 Weedpatch 2,879 21.9% $112,300
4 Woodville 1,836 16.0% $125,500
5 North Shore 2,580 14.1% $140,700
6 Poplar-Cotton Center 1,840 37.1% $130,500
7 Covelo 1,352 15.4% $243,600
8 Bodfish 2,164 20.8% $90,900
9 Mojave 3,780 11.6% $118,400
10 Gerber 1,084 19.7% $113,400
11 Sultana 1,336 12.9% $150,700
12 Berry Creek 1,278 22.5% $221,500
13 Richgrove 2,098 34.8% $118,800
14 Homestead Valley 2,619 15.2% $155,400
15 Pixley 4,322 17.9% $135,700
16 Sky Valley 2,274 8.6% $113,100
17 Weldon 2,160 8.2% $83,900
18 Fairmead 1,133 12.2% $126,600
19 London 1,534 15.6% $155,000
20 Lebec 1,474 22.4% $168,100
21 South Taft 2,120 24.7% $100,800
22 Rancho Tehama Reserve 1,750 7.6% $139,400
23 Buttonwillow 1,339 6.5% $143,800
24 Airport 1,276 24.8% $175,700
25 Searles Valley 1,647 6.1% $58,200
26 Ford City 4,909 15.6% $143,100
27 Seeley 1,847 25.4% $165,000
28 Needles 4,959 9.4% $108,800
29 Terra Bella 2,389 35.1% $164,700
30 Maricopa 2,157 11.5% $69,000
31 Riverdale Park 1,393 19.8% $234,800
32 Lost Hills 1,742 3.6% $125,000
33 Planada 3,984 15.6% $150,000
34 Home Garden 1,590 15.3% $143,100
35 Morongo Valley 3,166 9.0% $179,700
36 San Joaquin 4,025 14.4% $169,000
37 Vista Santa Rosa 2,072 15.2% $228,200
38 Hayfork 2,586 7.1% $231,300
39 West Park 1,025 15.3% $160,300
40 Big River 1,158 4.2% $88,100
41 Maxwell 1,256 9.7% $146,900
42 Lake Isabella 3,621 13.1% $91,500
43 Del Rey 1,246 7.6% $177,200
44 Kelseyville 3,657 18.8% $1,000
45 Weed 2,662 8.5% $155,500
46 Strathmore 3,641 24.5% $120,300
47 Warm Springs 1,445 16.0% $232,800
48 Ivanhoe 4,584 11.1% $153,300
49 Kennedy 2,877 18.9% $166,200
50 Boron 2,280 5.7% $74,500
51 Westmorland 2,680 15.8% $127,900
52 Calwa 2,363 21.1% $163,900
53 Bystrom 3,763 13.2% $164,300
54 Riverdale 2,727 3.9% $169,800
55 Matheny 1,036 7.9% $107,500
56 Mayfair 4,878 10.8% $155,900
57 Le Grand 1,597 11.7% $151,900
58 Mountain View Acres 3,698 10.5% $230,200
59 Yosemite Valley 1,213 7.4% $1,000
60 Tipton 3,391 8.5% $157,700
61 Biola 1,440 18.3% $152,400
62 Frazier Park 3,121 8.7% $172,600
63 China Lake Acres 2,450 8.3% $124,300
64 South Dos Palos 1,167 17.7% $186,600
65 Laton 1,967 7.5% $134,600
66 Parkwood 2,394 18.3% $146,200
67 Bethel Island 2,015 9.9% $323,700
68 Parksdale 2,725 22.9% $226,700
69 Weaverville 3,308 13.7% $288,100
70 Empire 3,285 8.2% $177,500
71 Taft Mosswood 1,060 8.6% $174,700
72 Sheridan 1,120 10.0% $269,900
73 Lake Don Pedro 1,465 11.2% $243,500
74 Wofford Heights 1,870 8.7% $88,300
75 Lone Pine 1,484 6.2% $252,500
76 Anza 2,101 8.0% $266,500
77 Lewiston 1,481 4.0% $278,500
78 Bertsch-Oceanview 2,037 12.0% $172,500
79 Burney 3,763 9.8% $168,600
80 Greenfield 3,777 9.1% $193,400
81 Kettleman City 1,245 8.4% $186,300
82 Pine Hills 3,547 6.6% $329,100
83 Whitewater 1,166 3.1% $174,800
84 Caruthers 2,245 10.4% $170,700
85 Dunnigan 1,391 6.1% $146,100
86 South Oroville 2,606 6.8% $161,000
87 French Camp 3,641 5.5% $324,200
88 Boronda 1,740 18.1% $287,500
89 Columbia 2,086 10.3% $345,100
90 Garberville 1,361 0.0% $355,900
91 Campo 3,536 3.0% $280,800
92 Alturas 2,550 12.7% $116,500
93 Green Acres 3,855 15.3% $197,400
94 Pajaro 3,509 21.4% $410,200
95 Westwood 1,387 5.7% $130,700
96 Willits 4,895 10.4% $269,700
97 Grayson 1,582 7.4% $329,500
98 Lenwood 4,431 3.8% $94,200
99 Rouse 1,684 6.1% $168,500
100 Montague 1,519 6.9% $153,800
Download The Entire California Ranking Data

How Is The Area In ?

 Worst