Should I Move To
Roughly 78,144 people live in Carmichael, California. Living here costs expensive relative to the rest of the country, 18% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,480/mo; the typical household pulls in $80,138. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 49/100 — a D, putting it at #525 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Carmichael sits at 118 — expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,480/mo against $80,138 median household income), housing eats roughly 22% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $495,400.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 91°F in summer, 40°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 18 inches. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere. Air quality reads good (AQI 46).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Carmichael isn't the strongest match. It earns 49/100 (grade D) on the families profile. Strongest on climate (77/100); weakest on affordability (31/100).
For retirees, Carmichael isn't the strongest match. It earns 51/100 (grade C-) on the retirees profile. Strongest on climate (77/100); weakest on affordability (31/100).
For remote workers, Carmichael isn't the strongest match. It earns 46/100 (grade D) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on climate (77/100); weakest on affordability (31/100).
For young professionals, Carmichael isn't the strongest match. It earns 51/100 (grade C-) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on climate (77/100); weakest on affordability (31/100).
Carmichael, California pulls a 49/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #525 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Carmichael's cost-of-living index is 118 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the expensive band — 18% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,480/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 91°F, winter averages around 40°F, with about 18 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 50/100. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere.
Carmichael has about 78,144 residents, 35% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 41.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Carmichael head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Carmichael stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Carmichael with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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