Should I Move To
Roughly 218,308 people live in Modesto, California. Living here costs moderate relative to the rest of the country, 9% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,497/mo; the typical household pulls in $73,375. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 36/100 — a F, putting it at #886 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
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, Modesto sits at 109 — moderate when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,497/mo against $73,375 median household income), housing eats roughly 24% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $381,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is hot-summer: roughly 93°F in summer, 40°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 12 inches. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car. Crime runs a touch higher than the typical US city — citywide numbers, of course, mask big neighborhood differences. Air quality is moderate (AQI 55).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Modesto isn't the strongest match. It earns 34/100 (grade F) on the families profile. Strongest on walkability (86/100); weakest on environmental quality (6/100).
For retirees, Modesto isn't the strongest match. It earns 41/100 (grade D) on the retirees profile. Strongest on walkability (86/100); weakest on environmental quality (6/100).
For remote workers, Modesto isn't the strongest match. It earns 38/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on walkability (86/100); weakest on environmental quality (6/100).
For young professionals, Modesto isn't the strongest match. It earns 43/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on walkability (86/100); weakest on environmental quality (6/100).
Modesto, California pulls a 36/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #886 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Modesto's cost-of-living index is 109 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the moderate band — 9% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,497/mo.
Hot-summer — summer averages around 93°F, winter averages around 40°F, with about 12 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 86/100. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car.
Modesto has about 218,308 residents, 20% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 35.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Modesto 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 Modesto 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 Modesto with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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