Living in Mammoth Lakes, California: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices match the U.S. average in the parts of California outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 8.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood20 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.8 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 12.8 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town5 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school and 2 other.
A hospital close byMammoth Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityFresno is about 73 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Mammoth Lakes meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 57% of homes are vacation or seasonal homes, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

Worth a closer look

Mammoth Lakes has lost about 5% of its people since 2020. A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $866,700U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 13%Mono County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,645 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $98,056U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 56%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,591 a yearCalifornia: $5,124
Homes built before 1940: 2%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 2%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 57%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 100U.S. average = 100 (the parts of California outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 13% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of California outside metro areas, not Mammoth Lakes alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 6,8672020: 7,233
Median age: 41.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 15%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 16%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 24%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 3%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (34%); schools, health care and social services (17%); finance, insurance and real estate (10%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 15 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 14%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 6%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Mammoth Hospital, Mammoth Lakes, CA, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Clovis Community Medical Center, Clovis, CA, about 67 miles away. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

5 public schools in Mammoth Lakes, run by Mammoth Unified and Mono County Office of Education.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on California's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 63%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 92%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 17°F
July average high: 78°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 0 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 210 a year
Rain and melted snow: 23.7 inches a year
Elevation: 8,248 feet

Weather station: Mammoth Lakes Rs (2 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Clovis, CACity of 129,00067

Fresno, CAMetro of 1.2 million73

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Clovis, Fresno.

Mono County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 7, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Devils Postpile National Monument5 miles
Yosemite National Park16 miles
Kings Canyon National Park29 miles

Read about Mammoth Lakes's history on Wikipedia.

Know Mammoth Lakes?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

West Bishop, CA2,600 people, 33 miles
Dixon Lane-MeadowCreek, CA3,100 people, 35 miles
Bishop, CA3,700 people, 37 miles
North Fork, CA3,000 people, 40 miles
Oakhurst, CA6,100 people, 40 miles
Auberry, CA3,200 people, 45 miles

Smaller places

June Lake, CA (unincorporated)209 people, 12 miles
Crowley Lake, CA (unincorporated)1,069 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.