Should I Move To
Roughly 320,030 people live in Stockton, California. Living here costs expensive relative to the rest of the country, 12% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,417/mo; the typical household pulls in $71,612. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 31/100 — a F, putting it at #947 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, Stockton sits at 112 — expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,417/mo against $71,612 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 $382,000.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is hot-summer: roughly 93°F in summer, 40°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 13 inches. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere. Crime runs a touch higher than the typical US city — citywide numbers, of course, mask big neighborhood differences. Air quality is moderate (AQI 52).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Stockton isn't the strongest match. It earns 28/100 (grade F) on the families profile. Strongest on walkability (67/100); weakest on education (9/100).
For retirees, Stockton isn't the strongest match. It earns 35/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on walkability (67/100); weakest on education (9/100).
For remote workers, Stockton isn't the strongest match. It earns 33/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on walkability (67/100); weakest on education (9/100).
For young professionals, Stockton isn't the strongest match. It earns 36/100 (grade F) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on walkability (67/100); weakest on education (9/100).
Stockton, California pulls a 31/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #947 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Stockton's cost-of-living index is 112 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the expensive band — 12% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,417/mo.
Hot-summer — summer averages around 93°F, winter averages around 40°F, with about 13 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 67/100. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere.
Stockton has about 320,030 residents, 18% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 33.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Stockton 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 Stockton 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 Stockton with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
Take the 2-minute UrbRank quiz to get a personalized ranking of US cities based on your priorities — cost, climate, commute, jobs, and more.