City · Shasta County, California

Shasta Lake, California

Shasta Lake is a city in Shasta County, California, part of the Redding, CA metro area. It has 10,311 residents. Shasta Lake, California has a quality-of-life score of 18 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,862 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #749 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on drought exposure (low), job growth (high) and mental health providers (high). It ranks worst on natural hazard risk (high), frequent mental distress (high) and distance to an airport (high).

18Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,862 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #749 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 10,311 (2020-2024)
Land area: 11 mi²
Density: 946.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 0671225

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.

Safety19#12,676/15,637
Economy37#9,845/15,631
Housing27#10,909/14,977
Health18#12,804/15,609
Healthcare52#7,438/15,650
Environment41#9,173/15,453
Education3#15,109/15,649
Infrastructure40#9,421/15,650
Community16#13,209/15,651
Leisure & amenities64#5,701/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Drought exposure · low0%
96/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAShasta County value
Job growth · high3.4%
95/100California 0.9%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataShasta County value
Mental health providers · high568 /100k
92/100California 487 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteShasta County value
Public EV charging ports · high13.3 /10k
88/100California 17.4 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyShasta County value
Grocery stores · high2.3 /10k
82/100California 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsShasta County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low8 mi
80/100California 10 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauShasta County value

Weaknesses

Natural hazard risk · high97.4
3/100California 87.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencyShasta County value
Frequent mental distress · high22.5%
4/100California 18.4%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Distance to an airport · high126 mi
5/100California 22 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauShasta County value
Violent crime rate · high558 /100k
7/100California 433 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationShasta County value
Students per teacher · high20.2×
7/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsShasta County value
Loneliness · high37.6%
9/100California 37.8%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
1.4 /1k (2021) → 0.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−53%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
23.3% (2015-2019) → 14.3% (2020-2024)
−8.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
56.0% (2015-2019) → 48.2% (2020-2024)
−7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$48,902 (2015-2019) → $67,401 (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
18.7% (2015-2019) → 13.3% (2020-2024)
−5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
83.0% (2015-2019) → 88.3% (2020-2024)
+5.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Shasta Lake, California improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved4

Poverty−5.4 points18.7% → 13.3%
Child poverty−8.9 points23.3% → 14.3%
Household income+38%$48,902 → $67,401
Broadband+5.3 points83.0% → 88.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Shasta Lake, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.3 min2015-2019	19.5 min2020-2024	−1.9 min	Within the margin of error	69%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.9%2015-2019	15.3%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Broadband subscriptions	83.0%2015-2019	88.3%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Improved	34%
Child poverty rate	23.3%2015-2019	14.3%2020-2024	−8.9 points	Improved	80%
Effective property tax rate	0.80%2015-2019	0.67%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	44%
High school diploma or higher	89.7%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	4.4×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	40%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4172015-2019	0.4372020-2024	+0.020	Within the margin of error	34%
Median household income	$48,9022015-2019	$67,4012020-2024	+38%	Improved	70%
Poverty rate	18.7%2015-2019	13.3%2020-2024	−5.4 points	Improved	82%
Rent as share of income	33.1%2015-2019	29.3%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Rent-burdened households	56.0%2015-2019	48.2%2020-2024	−7.8 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2015-2019	7.2%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.9%2015-2019	8.0%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	76%

“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 Shasta Lake, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Shasta Lake, 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, Shasta Lake, California itself moved +3.8 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

10,311 residents (±30)

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

4,035 households (±251)

Shasta Lake, California
California share

Under $25k19%764
$25k–50k21%841
$50k–75k13%505

Homes

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

Owners and renters

4,035 households (±251)

Shasta Lake, California
California share

Own68%2,751
Rent32%1,284

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

4,522 workers (±320)

Shasta Lake, California
California share

Drive alone81%3,643
Carpool11%†506
Public transit0.7%†

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 Redding, 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 Shasta County, the county holding most of Shasta Lake's residents.

Shasta County has 4,508 employer establishments, 249 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248; 0.95× California's), with 53,944 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,899. The Census Bureau also counts 12,664 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,508; 12,664 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 249; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 53,944
Average annual pay: $53,899; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	436	24.1	1.16×About typical	4,685	$66,092	597
Specialty trade contractors	357	19.8	1.28×More than typical	2,171	$69,919	728
Restaurants and other eating places	319	17.7	0.96×About typical	5,392	$24,389	70
Lessors of real estate	201	11.1	0.90×About typical	554	$41,439	1,056
Construction of buildings	150	8.3	1.10×About typical	474	$61,823	504
Offices of physicians	142	7.9	1.21×About typical	1,182	$85,345	131
Full-service restaurants	139	7.7	1.00×About typical	2,259	$26,317	32
Building equipment contractors	136	7.5	1.25×More than typical	868	$66,302	125
Limited-service restaurants	130	7.2	0.90×About typical	2,502	$22,691	26
Automotive repair and maintenance	129	7.1	1.42×More than typical	758	$52,926	172
Offices of other health practitioners	127	7	1.16×About typical	713	$45,888	319
Services to buildings and dwellings	125	6.9	1.03×About typical	929	$46,968	837

Rank places for an industry Open Shasta County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 180,695 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 $3.3M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Shasta Lake, California: $321 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $3.3M; +9.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $321; US $1,995
Sole-source: 13%; US 30%
Single offer: 6.9%; 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

Top recipients

CHENEGA SECURITY CALIFORNIA CORPORATION$1.6M48%
TEHAMA COUNTY OPPORTUNITY CENTER, INC.$406.4K12%
LA MARCHE MFG CO.$183.8K5.6%
SPROUT FORESTRY INCORPORATED$142.3K4.3%
HERC RENTALS INC$133.8K4.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1.9MFY2017
4.3MFY2018
2.5MFY2019
989.2KFY2020
2.5MFY2021
8.8MFY2022
2.7MFY2023
5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Investigation and security services · 5616$1.7M52%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$415.5K13%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$218.8K6.6%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$142.3K4.3%
General rental centers · 5323$133.8K4.0%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Shasta Lake, California

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA OFFICE (NCAO) ARMED SECURITY GUARD SERVICES - CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE WELL-TRAINED, HIGHLY CAPABLE SECURITY GUARDS AT SHASTA DAM, A NATIONAL CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE (NCI) FACILITY. THIS HIGH-CALIBER SECURITY GUARD FORCE SHAL$8.8M
CHENEGA SECURITY CALIFORNIA CORPORATION· Shasta County, CA· Facilities & utilities· Sep 12, 2023 – Aug 18, 2026· 140R2023C0015
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA OFFICE (NCAO) JANITORIAL SERVICES$2.6M
TEHAMA COUNTY OPPORTUNITY CENTER, INC.· Shasta County, CA· Facilities & utilities· Jun 29, 2023 – Jul 16, 2026· 140R2023P0068
NCAO SHASTA DAM SAFETY BOLLARDS$2.3M
PER-GEESH CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION· Shasta County, CA· Construction & real property· Sep 21, 2023 – Mar 9, 2026

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Shasta Lake, California, so they do not add up across cities.

Shasta Lake, California's figures are part of those of Shasta County, CA ($98.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 3.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Shasta 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.

Shasta Lake, 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.

Shasta County44100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Redding, CA48

Other cities and towns in Shasta 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/0671225

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends