City · Siskiyou County, California

Mount Shasta, California

Mount Shasta is a city in Siskiyou County, California. It has 3,182 residents. Mount Shasta, California has a quality-of-life score of 15 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,291 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #789 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on public EV charging ports (high), unemployment rate (low) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on natural hazard risk (high), rent as share of income (high) and flu vaccinations (low).

15Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,291 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #789 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 3,182 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 844.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 0649852

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.

Safety12#13,743/15,637
Economy27#11,397/15,631
Housing3#14,457/14,977
Health21#12,385/15,609
Healthcare65#5,535/15,650
Environment53#7,194/15,453
Education9#14,197/15,649
Infrastructure15#13,342/15,650
Community25#11,696/15,651
Leisure & amenities66#5,270/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Public EV charging ports · high28.3 /10k
99/100California 17.4 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergySiskiyou County value
Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100California 5.5%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Grocery stores · high3.8 /10k
98/100California 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSiskiyou County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,536 /100k
96/100California 2,428 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSiskiyou County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.41%
93/100California 0.70%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Mental health providers · high577 /100k
92/100California 487 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSiskiyou County value

Weaknesses

Natural hazard risk · high98.3
2/100California 87.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencySiskiyou 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
Flu vaccinations · low23.0%
2/100California 41.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSiskiyou County value
Math scores · low2.44
2/100California 2.79United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSiskiyou County value
Reading scores · low2.59
4/100California 2.91United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSiskiyou County value
Home price to income ratio · high6.9×
4/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Trends

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

Child poverty rateImproving
34.5% (2015-2019) → 14.1% (2020-2024)
−20 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.3 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Average commute timeWorsening
10.4 min (2015-2019) → 20.5 min (2020-2024)
+97%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
67.5% (2015-2019) → 79.4% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
40.4% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Poverty rateImproving
25.7% (2015-2019) → 17.5% (2020-2024)
−8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Mount Shasta, California improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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

Property tax−0.5 points0.90% → 0.41%

Declined1

Rent / income+11 points40.4% → 51.0%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Mount Shasta, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	10.4 min2015-2019	20.5 min2020-2024	+10.1 min	Within the margin of error	2%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.9%2015-2019	33.6%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Broadband subscriptions	89.7%2015-2019	86.6%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Effective property tax rate	0.90%2015-2019	0.41%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	90%
High school diploma or higher	92.4%2015-2019	97.7%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Home price to income ratio	6.9×2015-2019	6.9×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	81%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5462015-2019	0.4982020-2024	−0.049	Within the margin of error	83%
Median household income	$35,5472015-2019	$47,9172020-2024	+35%	Within the margin of error	65%
Poverty rate	25.7%2015-2019	17.5%2020-2024	−8.2 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	40.4%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Declined	9%
Rent-burdened households	67.5%2015-2019	79.4%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	19%

“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 Mount Shasta, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mount Shasta, 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, Mount Shasta, California itself moved −1.9 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

3,182 residents (±27)

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

1,682 households (±191)

Mount Shasta, California
California share

Under $25k24%†411
$25k–50k26%†440
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,682 households (±191)

Mount Shasta, California
California share

Own52%876
Rent48%†806

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

1,300 workers (±228)

Mount Shasta, California
California share

Drive alone61%795
Carpool11%†147
Public transit0.0%0

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 Siskiyou County, the county holding most of Mount Shasta's residents.

Siskiyou County has 1,070 employer establishments, 250 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248; 0.95× California's), with 8,455 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,607. The Census Bureau also counts 3,233 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,070; 3,233 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 250; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 8,455
Average annual pay: $47,607; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	85	19.8	1.08×About typical	974	$24,132	20
Ambulatory health care services	80	18.7	0.90×About typical	475	$67,509	178
Specialty trade contractors	59	13.8	0.89×About typical	249	$72,104	229
Construction of buildings	53	12.4	1.64×More than typical	181	$58,188	157
Lessors of real estate	50	11.7	0.95×About typical	90	$39,856	270
Full-service restaurants	39	9.1	1.18×About typical	428	$24,568	12
Traveler accommodation	37	8.6	4.78×More than typical	459	$36,100	26
Gasoline stations	34	7.9	2.45×More than typical	314	$30,949	—
Limited-service restaurants	30	7	0.87×About typical	446	$22,883	6
Religious organizations	28	6.5	1.18×About typical	121	$17,091	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	28	6.5	0.97×About typical	59	$45,153	220
Automotive repair and maintenance	26	6.1	1.20×About typical	91	$38,538	45

Rank places for an industry Open Siskiyou County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 42,856 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 $36.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Mount Shasta, California: $11.39 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $36.2K; −17% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11.39; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.6%; 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

Forest Service$35.2K97%
Department of Energy$1,0242.8%

Top recipients

JACK BROWN & SON, INC$16.6K46%
SILHOUETTE FARM & FORESTRY, LLC$9,36426%
ABSOLUTE FORESTRY LLC$5,07714%
BIG VALLEY SANITATION INC$3,1078.6%
MOUNTAIN VIEW REFORESTATION LLC$1,8575.1%

Spending by fiscal year

25.8KFY2017
40.6KFY2018
58.8KFY2019
17.2KFY2020
8.1KFY2021
31.5KFY2022
121.8KFY2023
101.7KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Support activities for forestry · 1153$32.1K89%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$3,1078.6%
Other schools and instruction · 6116$1,0242.8%

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 Mount Shasta, California, so they do not add up across cities.

Mount Shasta, California's figures are part of those of Siskiyou County, CA ($20.1M 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: Mount Shasta is mostly in Siskiyou County.

See federal money in Siskiyou 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.

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

House

James GallagherR-CA-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 93%Missed 6.1%

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.

Siskiyou County35100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Siskiyou 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/0649852

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends