City · Placer County, California

Lincoln, California

Lincoln is a city in Placer County, California, part of the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area. It has 52,956 residents. Lincoln, California has a quality-of-life score of 76 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,810 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #145 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an Amtrak station (low), hospital quality rating (high) and primary care physicians (high). It ranks worst on students per teacher (high), rent-burdened households (high) and high ozone days (high).

76High

Quality-of-life score: #3,810 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #145 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 52,956 (2020-2024)
Land area: 25 mi²
Density: 2,158.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 0641474

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 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.

Safety75#3,907/15,637
Economy88#1,918/15,631
Housing13#13,002/14,977
Health85#2,333/15,609
Healthcare93#1,087/15,650
Environment31#10,694/15,453
Education60#6,231/15,649
Infrastructure70#4,756/15,650
Community62#5,871/15,651
Leisure & amenities72#4,352/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lincoln, California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Placer 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

Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi
99/100California 10 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauPlacer County value
Hospital quality rating · high4.7
96/100California 3.1United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPlacer County value
Primary care physicians · high122 /100k
93/100California 83 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePlacer County value
Premature death · low5,005 /100k
93/100California 6,570 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePlacer County value
Dentists · high105 /100k
91/100California 95 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePlacer County value
Child poverty rate · low6.3%
91/100California 14.6%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Weaknesses

Students per teacher · high22.3×
2/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsPlacer County value
Rent-burdened households · high64.8%
5/100California 55.3%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
High ozone days · high11 days
5/100California 38 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPlacer County value
Home price to income ratio · high5.8×
11/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Average commute time · high29.8 min
12/100California 28.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent as share of income · high34.7%
12/100California 32.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Trends

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

PopulationRising
47,388 (2015-2019) → 52,956 (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
52.9% (2015-2019) → 64.8% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
20.6 /1k (2021) → 10.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−48%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
34.2% (2015-2019) → 40.1% (2020-2024)
+5.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$88,734 (2015-2019) → $111,990 (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
10.9% (2015-2019) → 6.3% (2020-2024)
−4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Lincoln, California improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 6 moved within the margin of error and 1 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.

Improved5

Bachelor's++5.8 points34.2% → 40.1%
Child poverty−4.6 points10.9% → 6.3%
Uninsured−1.7 points4.8% → 3.1%
Household income+26%$88,734 → $111,990
Broadband+4.3 points89.1% → 93.4%

Declined2

Rent burden+12 points52.9% → 64.8%
Price / income+0.8×5.0× → 5.8×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Lincoln, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	29.1 min2015-2019	29.8 min2020-2024	+0.6 min	Within the margin of error	40%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.2%2015-2019	40.1%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Improved	73%
Broadband subscriptions	89.1%2015-2019	93.4%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Improved	27%
Child poverty rate	10.9%2015-2019	6.3%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Improved	67%
Effective property tax rate	1.02%2015-2019	0.92%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	36%
High school diploma or higher	92.8%2015-2019	94.5%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Home price to income ratio	5.0×2015-2019	5.8×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	32%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4212015-2019	0.4042020-2024	−0.017	Within the margin of error	65%
Median household income	$88,7342015-2019	$111,9902020-2024	+26%	Improved	47%
Poverty rate	7.9%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Rent as share of income	31.9%2015-2019	34.7%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Rent-burdened households	52.9%2015-2019	64.8%2020-2024	+12 points	Declined	20%
Unemployment rate	3.5%2015-2019	4.2%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.8%2015-2019	3.1%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Improved	66%

“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 Lincoln, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lincoln, 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.

For comparison, Lincoln, California itself moved −2.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

52,956 residents (±89)

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

20,078 households (±574)

Lincoln, California
California share

Under $25k8.8%1,760
$25k–50k9.3%1,862
$50k–75k12%2,422

Homes

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

Owners and renters

20,078 households (±574)

Lincoln, California
California share

Own84%16,851
Rent16%3,227

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+4.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

21,850 workers (±658)

Lincoln, California
California share

Drive alone68%14,829
Carpool6.5%1,426
Public transit0.6%†129

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA

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 Placer County, the county holding most of Lincoln's residents.

Placer County has 12,180 employer establishments, 286 for every 10,000 residents (1.15× the US rate of 248; 1.09× California's), with 167,628 paid employees at an average annual pay of $67,699. The Census Bureau also counts 39,560 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 12,180; 39,560 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 286; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 167,628
Average annual pay: $67,699; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	1,096	25.8	1.24×About typical	14,906	$104,112	1,536
Specialty trade contractors	976	23	1.48×More than typical	10,322	$77,610	1,781
Restaurants and other eating places	922	21.7	1.18×About typical	18,344	$27,188	116
Lessors of real estate	837	19.7	1.60×More than typical	3,361	$65,439	4,846
Construction of buildings	572	13.5	1.78×More than typical	5,537	$93,515	1,265
Real estate agents and brokers	419	9.9	2.02×More than typical	851	$79,669	1,900
Management, scientific and technical consulting	404	9.5	1.42×More than typical	1,469	$83,317	1,764
Building equipment contractors	396	9.3	1.55×More than typical	4,300	$79,760	410
Limited-service restaurants	395	9.3	1.16×About typical	7,758	$23,639	57
Services to buildings and dwellings	392	9.2	1.37×More than typical	3,330	$47,728	1,418
Full-service restaurants	364	8.6	1.11×About typical	8,182	$32,257	39
Offices of other health practitioners	312	7.3	1.21×About typical	1,846	$40,784	802

Rank places for an industry Open Placer County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 425,195 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 $81K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lincoln, California: $1.53 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $81K; +68% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.53; US $1,994
Sole-source: 3.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.1%; 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

National Park Service$70K86%
International Boundary and Water Commission: U.S.-Mexico$5,7487.1%
Defense Microelectronics Activity$2,8543.5%
Department of the Army$2,4423.0%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

50.3KFY2017
24.7KFY2018
82.5KFY2019
158.4KFY2020
20.5KFY2021
649.9FY2022
10.6KFY2023
58.7KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Basic chemical manufacturing · 3251$70K86%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$5,7487.1%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$2,8543.5%
Traveler accommodation · 7211$2,4423.0%

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 Lincoln, California, so they do not add up across cities.

Lincoln, California's figures are part of those of Placer County, CA ($21.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Placer 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.

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

House

Kevin KileyI-CA-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 92%Missed 0.9%

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.

Placer County84100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA65

Other cities and towns in Placer 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/0641474

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends