Census-designated place · Trinity County, California

Junction City, California

Junction City is a census-designated place in Trinity County, California. It has 1,190 residents. Junction City, California has a quality-of-life score of 10 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,151 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #872 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on time spent in the emergency room (low), grocery stores (high) and drought exposure (low). It ranks worst on natural hazard risk (high), voter turnout (low) and injury deaths (high).

10Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,151 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #872 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 1,190 (2020-2024)
Land area: 27 mi²
Density: 44.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 0637596

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety13#13,653/15,637
Economy26#11,504/15,631
Housing3#14,584/14,977
Health28#11,176/15,609
Healthcare10#14,078/15,650
Environment72#4,357/15,453
Education16#13,171/15,649
Infrastructure19#12,669/15,650
Community16#13,179/15,651
Leisure & amenities44#8,754/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Junction City, California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Trinity County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Time spent in the emergency room · low69 min
100/100California 179 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesTrinity County value
Grocery stores · high3.2 /10k
95/100California 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTrinity County value
Drought exposure · low1%
93/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAATrinity County value
Median Air Quality Index · low31
92/100California 602025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyTrinity County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.8 µg/m³
92/100California 9.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyTrinity County value
Public libraries · high1.9 /10k
90/100California 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesTrinity County value

Weaknesses

Natural hazard risk · high100.0
0/100California 87.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencyTrinity County value
Voter turnout · low44.6%
1/100California 61.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionTrinity County value
Injury deaths · high165 /100k
2/100California 67 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTrinity County value
Traffic deaths · high50.4 /100k
2/100California 10.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataTrinity County value
Primary care physicians · low13 /100k
2/100California 83 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTrinity County value
Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100California 32.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
682 (2015-2019) → 1,190 (2020-2024)
+74%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
40.7% (2015-2019) → 100.0% (2020-2024)
+59 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
26.9% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
68.0% (2015-2019) → 89.1% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
8.8% (2015-2019) → 29.8% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Average commute timeImproving
33.7 min (2015-2019) → 15.3 min (2020-2024)
−55%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Junction City, California improved on 1 of 7 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 6 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+21 points68.0% → 89.1%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 7 measures

Change of every measure of Junction City, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Broadband subscriptions	68.0%2015-2019	89.1%2020-2024	+21 points	Improved	92%
Effective property tax rate	0.55%2015-2019	0.64%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	7%
High school diploma or higher	96.7%2015-2019	96.7%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Home price to income ratio	6.5×2015-2019	5.9×2020-2024	−0.7×	Within the margin of error	95%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3612015-2019	0.4352020-2024	+0.075	Within the margin of error	9%
Median household income	$53,9522015-2019	$48,2502020-2024	−11%	Within the margin of error	3%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Junction City, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Junction City, California in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Junction City, California five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Junction City, California itself moved −10.9 points in standing on average over the same 6 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,190 residents (±410)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

275 households (±83)

Junction City, California
California share

Under $25k31%†85
$25k–50k20%†56
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

275 households (±83)

Junction City, California
California share

Own73%†202
Rent27%†73

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

540 workers (±249)

Junction City, California
California share

Drive alone49%†263
Carpool4.8%†26
Public transit

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Trinity County, the county holding most of Junction City's residents.

Trinity County has 234 employer establishments, 149 for every 10,000 residents (0.60× the US rate of 248; 0.57× California's), with 1,426 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,652. The Census Bureau also counts 884 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 234; 884 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 149; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 1,426
Average annual pay: $46,652; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Trinity County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	19	12.1	0.66×Fewer than typical	111	$25,883	8
Specialty trade contractors	11	7	0.45×Fewer than typical	37	$80,270	62
Traveler accommodation	11	7	3.88×More than typical	62	$20,419	10
Construction of buildings	10	6.4	0.84×About typical	7	$72,143	62
Full-service restaurants	10	6.4	0.83×About typical	61	$27,885	3
Ambulatory health care services	9	5.7	0.28×Too few to compare	69	$60,029	35
Gasoline stations	9	5.7	1.77×Too few to compare	63	$20,492	—
Grocery and convenience stores	9	5.7	1.93×Too few to compare	135	$26,096	—
Religious organizations	9	5.7	1.03×Too few to compare	17	$18,000	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	7	4.5	1.68×Too few to compare	43	$28,558	14
Lessors of real estate	7	4.5	0.36×Too few to compare	9	$48,444	53
RV parks and recreational camps	7	4.5	18.8×Too few to compare	17	$71,882	4

Rank places for an industry Open Trinity County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 15,690 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $5,914 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Junction City, California: $4.97 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $5,914; −90% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4.97; US $1,994
Sole-source: 11%; US 30%
Single offer: 76%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Bureau of Reclamation$5,22088%
Forest Service$69312%

Top recipients

IRONWOOD CONSULTING INC.$4,50276%
KENDAL ALDINE HORST$4988.4%
JOHN HAYES CONSULTING / FIN & FLOW CONSULTING$3315.6%
DT ECOHYDRAULICS LLC$2624.4%
XPLICIT TECHNOLOGIES LLC$2344.0%

Spending by fiscal year

93.5KFY2017
7.7KFY2018
8.8KFY2019
5.2KFY2020
103.2KFY2021
15KFY2022
181.9KFY2023
134.2KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$5,22088%
Other crop farming · 1119$4988.4%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$2344.0%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Junction City, California, so they do not add up across cities.

Junction City, California's figures are part of those of Trinity County, CA ($2.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Junction City is mostly in Trinity County.

See federal money in Trinity County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Junction City, California is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jared HuffmanD-CA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 2.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Trinity County25100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Trinity County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0637596

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends