Should I Move To
Roughly 93,327 people live in Redding, California. Living here costs moderate relative to the rest of the country, essentially matching the national average. Median rent runs about $1,278/mo; the typical household pulls in $67,323. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 67/100 — a B-, putting it at #34 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, Redding sits at 102 — moderate when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,278/mo against $67,323 median household income), housing eats roughly 23% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $343,000.
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. On crime, it scores well — incidents per capita run noticeably under the national average. Air quality reads good (AQI 38).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Redding is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 66/100 (grade B-) on the families profile. Strongest on safety (99/100); weakest on education (28/100).
For retirees, Redding is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 73/100 (grade B) on the retirees profile. Strongest on safety (99/100); weakest on education (28/100).
For remote workers, Redding is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 71/100 (grade B) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on safety (99/100); weakest on education (28/100).
For young professionals, Redding is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 58/100 (grade C) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on safety (99/100); weakest on education (28/100).
Redding, California pulls a 67/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade B-), currently ranked #34 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Redding's cost-of-living index is 102 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the moderate band — essentially matching the national average. Median rent runs about $1,278/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 91°F, winter averages around 40°F, with about 18 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 61/100. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere.
Redding has about 93,327 residents, 26% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 39.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Redding 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 Redding 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 Redding with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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