The 10 Most Boring Places In California For 2023


The most boring places in California are Paradise and Lafayette for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in California that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.

Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Golden State are so lucky.

Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within California’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.

Like Paradise, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of Oklahoma according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Paradise. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in California as well.

Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.

Don’t freak out, in fact, believe it not, a boring city is actually one a lot of people would like to call home.

Before you get all upset if your city’s name is on the list, rest assured that we didn’t use personal opinion when it comes to what classifies a city or town as “boring” or “exciting”. We crunched actual numbers to figure out which towns are statistically more boring.

Showing this data to you is the kind of thing that a real estate agent knows, but would never share.

For more California reading, check out:


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


The 10 Most Boring Places In California For 2023

Paradise, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 6,666
Average Age: 57.9
% Married: 36.0%
More on Paradise: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Lafayette, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Stacey Baca | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10
Population: 25,310
Average Age: 45.4
% Married: 28.0%
More on Lafayette: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Orinda, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Andwhatsnext at English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population: 19,477
Average Age: 49.4
% Married: 23.0%
More on Orinda: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Loomis, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Magnolia677 | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 6,831
Average Age: 46.6
% Married: 40.0%
More on Loomis: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Rio Vista, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Brocken Inaglory | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10
Population: 10,074
Average Age: 64.6
% Married: 26.0%
More on Rio Vista: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Big Bear Lake, CA

Source: Wikipedia User jcookfisher | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10
Population: 5,059
Average Age: 47.5
% Married: 29.0%
More on Big Bear Lake: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Calimesa, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10
Population: 10,366
Average Age: 44.0
% Married: 34.0%
More on Calimesa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Ione, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10
Population: 5,364
Average Age: 45.2
% Married: 39.0%
More on Ione: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

La Habra Heights, CA

Source: Flickr User sergei.gussev | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10
Population: 5,599
Average Age: 47.6
% Married: 25.0%
More on La Habra Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10
Population: 25,328
Average Age: 41.4
% Married: 31.0%
More on Norco: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Golden State

You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in California. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.

Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.

To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.

We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. HSome of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:

  • % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
  • % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
  • Average Age (higher is more boring)
  • % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
  • Population density (lower is more boring)

Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.

For this ranking, we used every California city with at least 5,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.

Grab your rocker and hold on.

We updated this article for 2023, and it’s our tenth time ranking the most boring cities in California.

There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep

On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since California isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.

If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in California, according to science:

  1. Davis
  2. Berkeley
  3. Santa Cruz

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In California For 2023

Rank City Population Average Age % Married % Kids
1 Paradise, CA 6,666 57.9 36.0% 16.4%
2 Lafayette, CA 25,310 45.4 28.0% 37.0%
3 Orinda, CA 19,477 49.4 23.0% 36.9%
4 Loomis, CA 6,831 46.6 40.0% 26.2%
5 Rio Vista, CA 10,074 64.6 26.0% 8.0%
6 Big Bear Lake, CA 5,059 47.5 29.0% 20.8%
7 Calimesa, CA 10,366 44.0 34.0% 29.6%
8 Ione, CA 5,364 45.2 39.0% 25.1%
9 La Habra Heights, CA 5,599 47.6 25.0% 25.2%
10 Norco, CA 25,328 41.4 31.0% 33.3%
11 Villa Park, CA 5,814 51.7 34.0% 28.0%
12 Placerville, CA 10,744 43.4 28.0% 29.2%
13 Lincoln, CA 50,131 44.5 32.0% 31.8%
14 Morro Bay, CA 10,766 52.1 27.0% 17.6%
15 Danville, CA 43,449 46.1 27.0% 38.9%
16 Truckee, CA 16,784 41.9 23.0% 33.4%
17 San Dimas, CA 34,466 42.7 30.0% 31.6%
18 Scotts Valley, CA 12,239 49.0 30.0% 24.2%
19 Canyon Lake, CA 11,108 45.0 33.0% 31.4%
20 Pismo Beach, CA 8,050 54.1 25.0% 15.3%
21 Auburn, CA 13,773 47.3 26.0% 19.9%
22 La Quinta, CA 37,933 51.0 23.0% 21.5%
23 Benicia, CA 27,040 45.3 27.0% 27.2%
24 Laguna Beach, CA 22,943 53.7 25.0% 19.2%
25 Hillsborough, CA 11,258 46.5 22.0% 42.4%
26 Atascadero, CA 29,758 40.9 34.0% 29.1%
27 Tiburon, CA 9,115 49.3 18.0% 33.2%
28 Novato, CA 53,055 48.6 23.0% 26.8%
29 Jackson, CA 5,004 43.7 34.0% 24.0%
30 Woodside, CA 5,256 46.4 21.0% 35.2%
31 Yorba Linda, CA 68,035 44.3 29.0% 35.5%
32 Seal Beach, CA 25,046 60.8 22.0% 14.4%
33 Glendora, CA 52,095 40.4 28.0% 36.6%
34 Malibu, CA 10,698 50.2 19.0% 24.5%
35 Martinez, CA 37,093 42.1 30.0% 30.9%
36 Escalon, CA 7,456 35.8 41.0% 37.4%
37 Tehachapi, CA 12,855 38.3 24.0% 32.1%
38 Agoura Hills, CA 20,088 44.5 25.0% 34.7%
39 Sonoma, CA 10,702 54.7 29.0% 19.6%
40 Healdsburg, CA 11,481 48.5 23.0% 23.9%
41 Arroyo Grande, CA 18,435 45.3 36.0% 27.9%
42 Half Moon Bay, CA 11,633 48.3 23.0% 24.9%
43 Lakeport, CA 5,014 42.7 34.0% 22.3%
44 Shasta Lake, CA 10,361 38.8 30.0% 33.7%
45 Livermore, CA 87,154 40.3 28.0% 35.9%
46 Poway, CA 48,737 41.7 20.0% 34.4%
47 Palos Verdes Estates, CA 13,219 53.3 21.0% 29.5%
48 Pacifica, CA 38,048 43.2 24.0% 29.1%
49 Clayton, CA 11,070 44.4 28.0% 35.2%
50 Solvang, CA 6,035 50.6 21.0% 18.3%
51 Moorpark, CA 36,073 38.8 28.0% 38.4%
52 Buellton, CA 5,151 37.9 30.0% 35.0%
53 Windsor, CA 26,320 41.9 29.0% 37.9%
54 Brentwood, CA 64,443 40.7 28.0% 45.9%
55 Corte Madera, CA 10,155 44.4 21.0% 39.3%
56 Menifee, CA 103,680 37.3 26.0% 38.3%
57 Sebastopol, CA 7,503 48.8 26.0% 25.2%
58 Ripon, CA 16,092 39.4 42.0% 35.7%
59 St. Helena, CA 5,426 48.4 16.0% 25.1%
60 Folsom, CA 81,077 39.9 25.0% 38.9%
61 Winters, CA 7,270 37.9 25.0% 40.0%
62 Saratoga, CA 30,771 50.9 12.0% 33.9%
63 Los Gatos, CA 33,093 45.6 19.0% 33.7%
64 Petaluma, CA 59,682 43.5 28.0% 29.3%
65 Rolling Hills Estates, CA 8,214 48.0 20.0% 30.1%
66 San Clemente, CA 64,232 44.2 27.0% 30.1%
67 Beaumont, CA 53,544 35.1 29.0% 46.1%
68 Rancho Mirage, CA 17,257 64.9 14.0% 9.8%
69 Oakley, CA 43,525 35.8 30.0% 44.1%
70 El Paso De Robles (Paso Robles), CA 31,595 39.5 26.0% 31.7%
71 San Anselmo, CA 12,761 46.0 27.0% 34.8%
72 San Juan Capistrano, CA 35,099 42.4 22.0% 34.1%
73 Chino, CA 91,008 36.9 25.0% 39.7%
74 Dana Point, CA 33,025 49.5 28.0% 22.7%
75 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 41,805 49.8 20.0% 30.0%
76 Yucaipa, CA 54,428 36.4 33.0% 37.0%
77 Sierra Madre, CA 11,151 46.6 24.0% 22.6%
78 Los Alamitos, CA 11,728 37.3 27.0% 37.5%
79 Palm Desert, CA 51,290 55.2 16.0% 17.4%
80 Cloverdale, CA 8,964 42.0 28.0% 26.1%
81 Thousand Oaks, CA 126,532 44.4 23.0% 28.3%
82 Palm Springs, CA 44,935 57.3 12.0% 8.7%
83 Pleasanton, CA 78,691 41.5 18.0% 39.3%
84 Chino Hills, CA 78,223 39.4 21.0% 35.8%
85 Simi Valley, CA 126,153 41.2 25.0% 30.7%
86 Morgan Hill, CA 45,291 38.0 26.0% 40.5%
87 La Verne, CA 31,239 45.8 28.0% 26.9%
88 Roseville, CA 148,879 39.8 27.0% 34.0%
89 Los Altos Hills, CA 8,441 53.5 12.0% 25.4%
90 Galt, CA 25,350 38.5 30.0% 40.6%
91 Santa Fe Springs, CA 18,840 38.0 23.0% 35.3%
92 Anderson, CA 11,267 36.6 32.0% 31.0%
93 Solana Beach, CA 12,946 47.8 22.0% 25.5%
94 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 47,702 40.1 26.0% 36.8%
95 Rocklin, CA 71,676 37.5 30.0% 38.9%
96 Piedmont, CA 11,161 44.3 24.0% 42.6%
97 Newport Beach, CA 85,159 46.7 22.0% 21.3%
98 Redding, CA 93,327 38.8 26.0% 28.2%
99 Calistoga, CA 5,191 49.2 14.0% 22.3%
100 Oroville, CA 20,283 36.5 23.0% 35.2%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

7 thoughts on “The 10 Most Boring Places In California For 2023

  1. This is one of the most idiotic posts I have ever read. Obviously written by someone Boring, with a capital B.

  2. looks pretty ageist to me…as if youth, per se, makes for interesting people…It doesn’t. Also , San Marino is the third wealthiest community per capita in the United States…It’s been the home for many of the nation’s major movers and shakers for decades..hardly boring. Rolling Hills is close to some of the best surfing in the world..etc. etc..If you want to pick someplace boring, how about sacramento…now that’s boring.

  3. This is unadulterated crap and I suspect it was written by one of those entitled millennials, no doubt. I’m 49, MARRIED to an awesome redhead, am a ROCK musician who Cosplays as a Zombie, (I was featured on the Mythbusters and we do fund raisers and food drives as Zombies, btw), Doctor Who, Star Lord and a Pirate (you know…for kids)…all this *WITH* my wife…and oh *by the way* you counted age three times in your ‘study’.
    ————————————————-
    % of Population Over 35 (Higher is more boring) <—-Once
    % of Married Household (Higher is more boring)
    Average Age (higher is more boring) <—Twice
    % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
    % of Households with People Over 65 (higher is more boring)< —Three times…serious?
    Population density (lower is more boring)
    ————————————————-
    Look, if you're gonna count age against any location, you might wanna consider, perhaps….ooohhhh, I don't know…how about putting some actual effort in spending the time to find out what people in these purportedly "boring" places actually *DO* for fun rather than baking up weak statistics about them, so, pretty-please, (with what ever kind of topping that blows your skirt up), stop being so douchey about it and give us something we can sink our teeth into. GhaAAahd….

  4. Oh brother!!! Silly article! The top places listed are the best places to raise kids! The author must not have kids. Of course these wouldn’t be “fun” for singles.

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