Living in Nevada City, 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 8.9 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood52 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 16.2 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 16.2 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town6 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school and 1 other.
A hospital close bySierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in Grass Valley, about 2 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySacramento is about 53 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 Nevada City 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.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $677,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 1.2%Nevada County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $75,792U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $4,920 a yearCalifornia: $5,124
Homes built since 2010: 2%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 14%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 1.2% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of California outside metro areas, not Nevada City 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: 3,1742020: 3,140
Median age: 52.8 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Under 18: 18%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 49%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 10%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: Professional and business services (17%); other services (11%)
Unemployment rate: 0%U.S.: 5%
Below the poverty line: 9%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Grass Valley, CA, about 2 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 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

6 public schools in Nevada City, run by Nevada City Elementary and Nevada 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 any internet subscription: 98%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: 33°F
July average high: 88°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 36 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 61 a year
Rain and melted snow: 53.2 inches a year
Snow: 9 inches a year
Elevation: 2,392 feet

Weather station: Grass Valley #2 (4 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

Sierra Nevada Memorial HospitalEmergency room2

Lincoln, CACity of 57,00030

Sacramento, CAMetro of 2.5 million53

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: Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Lincoln, Sacramento.

Nevada County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Nevada City Downtown Historic District.

Read about Nevada City's history on Wikipedia.

Know Nevada City?

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

Grass Valley, CA14,000 people, 3 miles
Lake Wildwood, CA4,800 people, 9 miles
Alta Sierra, CA7,400 people, 9 miles
Colfax, CA2,000 people, 12 miles
Lake of the Pines, CA5,500 people, 15 miles
Meadow Vista, CA3,200 people, 18 miles

Smaller places

Rough and Ready, CA (unincorporated)736 people, 6 miles
North San Juan, CA (unincorporated)179 people, 9 miles
Penn Valley, CA (unincorporated)1,678 people, 10 miles
Dutch Flat, CA (unincorporated)200 people, 11 miles
Dobbins, CA (unincorporated)875 people, 12 miles
Alta, CA (unincorporated)656 people, 13 miles
Washington, CA (unincorporated)129 people, 15 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.