The 10 Worst Small Towns In California For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the worst small towns in California.

By: Nick Johnson | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: November 3, 2023

Most Americans have never been to small town California. However, as the Californian who live there know, small town California is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, California has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Golden State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 377 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 2023:

  1. Oasis
  2. Thermal
  3. Weedpatch
  4. Woodville
  5. Homestead Valley
  6. Fairmead
  7. Buttonwillow
  8. South Taft
  9. Poplar-Cotton Center
  10. North Shore

So what is the worst small town to call home in California for 2023? According to the most recent census data, Oasis is the worst small town to live in California.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Oasis home. Everyone

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.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 10 Worst Small Towns In California For 2023

1. Oasis

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,790
Median Home Value: $42,700 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.3% (40th worst)

2. Thermal

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,198
Median Home Value: $119,300 (2worst)
Unemployment Rate: 24.2% (10th worst)

3. Weedpatch

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,833
Median Home Value: $114,300 (20th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 24.9% (9th worst)

4. Woodville

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,906
Median Home Value: $147,300 (33rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.2% (22nd worst)

5. Homestead Valley

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,758
Median Home Value: $160,600 (48th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.2% (26th worst)

6. Fairmead

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,382
Median Home Value: $143,500 (3worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.9% (108th worst)

7. Buttonwillow

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,106
Median Home Value: $124,500 (24th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.7% (94th worst)

8. South Taft

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,377
Median Home Value: $98,600 (11th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 17.1% (34th worst)

9. Poplar-Cotton Center

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,948
Median Home Value: $130,000 (28th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 31.0% (4th worst)

10. North Shore

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,982
Median Home Value: $150,900 (37th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.0% (42nd worst)

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in California is lousy or not?

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

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2017-2021 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 many – 377 to be exact.

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

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in California.

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. Del Mar (Pop. 4,008)
  2. Belvedere (Pop. 2,309)
  3. Loyola (Pop. 3,564)

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In California

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Oasis 2,790 16.3% $42,700
2 Thermal 1,198 24.2% $119,300
3 Weedpatch 2,833 24.9% $114,300
4 Woodville 1,906 19.2% $147,300
5 Homestead Valley 2,758 18.2% $160,600
6 Fairmead 1,382 9.9% $143,500
7 Buttonwillow 1,106 10.7% $124,500
8 South Taft 2,377 17.1% $98,600
9 Poplar-Cotton Center 1,948 31.0% $130,000
10 North Shore 2,982 16.0% $150,900
11 Searles Valley 1,597 11.3% $64,500
12 Covelo 1,317 16.8% $275,000
13 Berry Creek 1,190 19.1% $217,900
14 Needles 4,921 15.1% $121,500
15 Teviston 1,063 29.5% $1,000
16 Pixley 4,137 16.2% $154,800
17 Bodfish 2,342 24.0% $109,500
18 London 1,531 15.1% $157,100
19 Airport 1,209 24.1% $1,000
20 Weldon 2,261 8.4% $107,500
21 Mecca 4,451 17.0% $167,600
22 Ford City 4,327 22.7% $149,400
23 Rancho Tehama Reserve 1,700 9.0% $95,000
24 Sultana 1,024 12.0% $1,000
25 Lake Isabella 3,553 21.4% $94,400
26 Sky Valley 2,236 10.3% $114,200
27 Richgrove 1,830 34.7% $127,600
28 Terra Bella 1,563 33.1% $154,400
29 North Edwards 1,037 11.9% $77,400
30 Strathmore 3,360 25.2% $110,100
31 Seeley 1,781 19.9% $158,800
32 Planada 3,732 17.5% $183,900
33 Big River 1,115 8.6% $107,100
34 Lost Hills 1,768 4.7% $149,100
35 Kelseyville 3,873 15.5% $193,200
36 San Joaquin 3,743 16.7% $201,400
37 Del Rey 1,413 12.1% $165,100
38 Whitewater 1,082 13.6% $234,200
39 Salton City 4,900 10.0% $145,900
40 Morongo Valley 3,159 9.8% $183,300
41 Kennedy 2,632 14.5% $208,100
42 Maricopa 1,315 12.0% $89,400
43 West Park 1,110 13.2% $175,000
44 Mojave 3,620 8.7% $125,400
45 Bret Harte 4,981 15.4% $169,700
46 Tipton 3,193 9.9% $170,200
47 Bystrom 4,068 15.7% $160,300
48 Hayfork 3,639 7.3% $299,300
49 Maxwell 1,107 9.2% $149,700
50 Riverdale 2,513 4.7% $189,700
51 Boron 2,418 10.6% $84,500
52 Gerber 1,049 7.4% $111,200
53 Laton 1,551 10.6% $184,600
54 China Lake Acres 2,441 9.8% $151,600
55 Warm Springs 1,622 15.0% $258,900
56 Desert Edge 3,484 14.9% $52,100
57 Weed 2,870 8.2% $182,800
58 Westmorland 2,289 19.4% $155,400
59 Parksdale 2,559 21.9% $242,100
60 Parkwood 2,496 25.3% $176,900
61 Biola 1,515 20.5% $169,200
62 Calwa 2,517 17.9% $185,600
63 Frazier Park 3,063 8.7% $182,600
64 Westwood 1,393 11.4% $136,600
65 Patterson Tract 1,696 13.6% $305,300
66 Matheny 1,078 8.1% $109,600
67 Le Grand 1,635 10.8% $166,000
68 Anza 2,396 16.5% $236,000
69 Home Garden 1,577 9.6% $139,100
70 Wofford Heights 1,964 6.5% $89,900
71 Empire 3,496 13.4% $210,700
72 Chalfant 1,155 23.4% $258,300
73 Ivanhoe 4,347 9.2% $178,200
74 Mountain View Acres 3,337 11.2% $261,200
75 Taft Mosswood 1,351 12.1% $256,800
76 Stratford 1,115 5.0% $123,400
77 Burney 3,377 12.8% $169,800
78 Riverdale Park 1,086 7.9% $311,300
79 Yosemite Valley 1,210 7.4% $1,000
80 Portola 2,204 8.5% $180,300
81 Lewiston 1,817 3.6% $275,700
82 Caruthers 2,171 9.9% $216,700
83 Pine Mountain Club 2,124 15.7% $285,200
84 Columbia 2,079 12.0% $360,500
85 Lake Don Pedro 1,419 10.4% $264,900
86 South Dos Palos 1,003 18.0% $201,600
87 Pajaro 3,066 18.4% $416,100
88 Mariposa 1,305 5.4% $279,200
89 San Miguel Cdp (San Luis Obispo County) 2,837 8.4% $338,700
90 Lone Pine 1,580 5.0% $194,600
91 French Camp 3,778 5.5% $288,500
92 Campo 3,597 3.8% $282,800
93 Vista Santa Rosa 1,723 9.2% $259,400
94 Lucerne 3,004 9.9% $226,500
95 Garberville 1,416 0.0% $392,000
96 Alturas 2,693 16.5% $127,000
97 Meadowbrook 3,874 7.8% $255,300
98 Piru 2,203 9.7% $391,000
99 Boonville 1,044 11.2% $540,000
100 Dunsmuir 1,826 9.2% $226,800
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

 Worst

7 thoughts on “The 10 Worst Small Towns In California For 2023”

  1. Do your homework, I don’t know about the other towns but East Nicolaus is great, like John Cooper said, East Nicolaus Spartans took State Champ and you have obviously never been to Sammie’s, you can’t get a hold of them because their busy serving up delicious food, That town has more to offer than some big city, lights, noise, crime. You can keep your CEO Salary lifestyle. Spartans Proud!!!!

    Reply

  2. What some people believe to be undesirable is actually quite desirable to others. Our small town, East Nicolaus, might seem unworthy of accolades to some who simply value other aspects of modern life. However, East Nic boasts high achieving schools with strong academics and athletic programs, recreation programs for local youth, a caring community, and access to all the amenities valued by the writer of the article in nearby metropolitan areas without having to live in the thick of all the hustle and bustle. We are happy. This is just simply not for you.

    Reply

  3. Smith Corner isn’t actually a town. It’s a community inside the town of Shafter. Just like #19 Mexican Colony. Unfortunately back in the day Shafter was much more like a town in the south. Smith Corner was for the poor white folks and the Mexican Colony was where only Mexicans lived. We also have a “Cherokee Strip” where Native Americans lived at one time. These places were made to keep the poor and people who were not white out of town. We haven’t come very far since then. Ask any of the people who live in these communities and they will tell you SHAFTER.

    Reply

  4. My nephew goes to school in Nicolaus and if my husband and I live in the area when our child starts school, he will also go to Nicolaus. I was born and raised in Wheatland and i’m hoping we stay in the area so my son will get to experience, not only the wonderful teachers but also excellent team spirit of Nicolaus. This is a poorly researched piece of writing.

    Reply

  5. Your photo of Newell, near the Oregon California border, is not a photo of our Newell. We have no hwy 90, hwy 10, or an intersection, and no lines of trees on our only hwy 139.

    Reply

  6. Yeah im gonna have to agree with most of these comments- referring to the inadequacy of your list of Cali’s worst small towns- based solely on one simple fact…..
    Where I live, and the surrounding communities near me, were NOT EVEN MENTIONED in the entire list lol. Because i know one thing for sure: Its absolutely NOT because we dont MAKE the list of the top 100 worst small towns! So i feel justified in assuming that our area was most likely just skipped over. Also, in East Nicholas’s defense- its probably considered one of the BETTER places to live around that area lol- (i know this because its close to home for me)… Try researching YUBA COUNTY (aka Marysville/Linda and Olivehurst) if you wanna find the #1 worst small town in California lol trust me youll be updating that list when you’re done 🙂

    Reply

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