City · El Dorado County, California

South Lake Tahoe, California

South Lake Tahoe is a city in El Dorado County, California, part of the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area. It has 21,269 residents. South Lake Tahoe, California has a quality-of-life score of 67 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,235 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #238 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on public EV charging ports (high), average commute time (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on students per teacher (high), home price to income ratio (high) and natural hazard risk (high).

67High

Quality-of-life score: #5,235 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #238 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 21,269 (2020-2024)
Land area: 10 mi²
Density: 2,112.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 0673108

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.

Safety61#6,152/15,637
Economy59#6,378/15,631
Housing14#12,890/14,977
Health68#5,034/15,609
Healthcare66#5,312/15,650
Environment81#3,001/15,453
Education37#9,813/15,649
Infrastructure83#2,728/15,650
Community51#7,724/15,651
Leisure & amenities82#2,836/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where South Lake Tahoe, California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “El Dorado 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 · high17.3 /10k
93/100California 17.5 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyEl Dorado County value
Average commute time · low16.5 min
92/100California 28.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.9 µg/m³
91/100California 9.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEl Dorado County value
Voter turnout · high76.8%
90/100California 61.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionEl Dorado County value
Comfortable days · high32.9%
90/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationEl Dorado County value
Drought exposure · low2%
89/100California 9%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAEl Dorado County value

Weaknesses

Students per teacher · high22.5×
2/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsEl Dorado County value
Home price to income ratio · high8.3×
2/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Natural hazard risk · high94.3
6/100California 87.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencyEl Dorado County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.510
6/100California 0.489United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
High school diploma or higher · low89.7%
11/100California 84.7%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
High ozone days · high7 days
12/100California 38 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEl Dorado County value

Trends

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

Median household incomeImproving
$49,390 (2015-2019) → $82,002 (2020-2024)
+66%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
24.3% (2015-2019) → 35.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.5% (2015-2019) → 91.4% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
17.1% (2015-2019) → 7.5% (2020-2024)
−9.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
13.0% (2015-2019) → 9.3% (2020-2024)
−3.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Unemployment rateImproving
7.3% (2015-2019) → 3.6% (2020-2024)
−3.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, South Lake Tahoe, California improved on 6 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved6

Household income+66%$49,390 → $82,002
Unemployment−3.6 points7.3% → 3.6%
Bachelor's++12 points24.3% → 35.9%
Child poverty−9.6 points17.1% → 7.5%
Poverty−3.7 points13.0% → 9.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of South Lake Tahoe, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.2 min2015-2019	16.5 min2020-2024	+0.3 min	Within the margin of error	44%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.3%2015-2019	35.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	93%
Broadband subscriptions	80.5%2015-2019	91.4%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	64%
Child poverty rate	17.1%2015-2019	7.5%2020-2024	−9.6 points	Improved	81%
Effective property tax rate	0.68%2015-2019	0.65%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	21%
High school diploma or higher	86.9%2015-2019	89.7%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Home price to income ratio	8.2×2015-2019	8.3×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	71%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4672015-2019	0.5102020-2024	+0.043	Within the margin of error	19%
Median household income	$49,3902015-2019	$82,0022020-2024	+66%	Improved	93%
Poverty rate	13.0%2015-2019	9.3%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Improved	74%
Public transit commuters	3.6%2015-2019	2.3%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Rent as share of income	30.8%2015-2019	31.5%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent-burdened households	51.9%2015-2019	51.7%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Unemployment rate	7.3%2015-2019	3.6%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Improved	92%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.0%2015-2019	12.6%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	52%

“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 South Lake Tahoe, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of South Lake Tahoe, 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, South Lake Tahoe, 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

21,269 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

9,519 households (±398)

South Lake Tahoe, California
California share

Under $25k13%1,276
$25k–50k16%1,529
$50k–75k16%1,542

Homes

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

Owners and renters

9,519 households (±398)

South Lake Tahoe, California
California share

Own51%4,885
Rent49%4,634

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+10.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

12,227 workers (±551)

South Lake Tahoe, California
California share

Drive alone60%7,334
Carpool11%1,294
Public transit2.3%†278

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 El Dorado County, the county holding most of South Lake Tahoe's residents.

El Dorado County has 5,005 employer establishments, 261 for every 10,000 residents (1.05× the US rate of 248; 0.99× California's), with 49,522 paid employees at an average annual pay of $61,283. The Census Bureau also counts 17,064 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,005; 17,064 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 261; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 49,522
Average annual pay: $61,283; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	469	24.4	1.58×More than typical	3,264	$95,452	1,022
Restaurants and other eating places	402	20.9	1.14×About typical	6,050	$27,601	41
Ambulatory health care services	365	19	0.91×About typical	2,887	$78,682	689
Lessors of real estate	306	15.9	1.29×More than typical	911	$52,879	1,908
Construction of buildings	271	14.1	1.87×More than typical	1,448	$85,701	731
Management, scientific and technical consulting	195	10.2	1.51×More than typical	589	$84,533	895
Full-service restaurants	191	9.9	1.29×More than typical	3,400	$31,381	16
Building equipment contractors	187	9.7	1.62×More than typical	1,544	$97,265	215
Services to buildings and dwellings	185	9.6	1.43×More than typical	2,422	$63,074	863
Limited-service restaurants	146	7.6	0.95×About typical	2,010	$22,162	12
Real estate agents and brokers	144	7.5	1.54×More than typical	252	$75,754	810
Offices of other health practitioners	121	6.3	1.04×About typical	658	$42,137	386

Rank places for an industry Open El Dorado County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 192,090 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 $182.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in South Lake Tahoe, California: $8.58 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $182.4K; −56% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8.58; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.9%; US 30%
Single offer: 45%; US 8.7%

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$182.4K100%

Top recipients

SIERRA VALLEY ENTERPRISES LLC$122.2K67%
358 INVESTMENTS, LLC$26.2K14%
ENGINEERING/REMEDIATION RESOURCES GROUP, INC.$8,9374.9%
IDAHO FIRE & MECHANICS, LLC$6,0113.3%
FIRESTORM WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION, INC.$4,7232.6%
LTC FORESTRY, INC.$3,8342.1%
PIERRE CONTRACTING GROUP LLC$2,2441.2%
J & L PRO KLEEN, INC.$1,9151.0%

Spending by fiscal year

577KFY2017
205.5KFY2018
231.1KFY2019
217.8KFY2020
215.4KFY2021
184.5KFY2022
537.3KFY2023
1.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Support activities for forestry · 1153$138.2K76%
Residential building construction · 2361$26.2K14%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$12.8K7.0%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$2,5751.4%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$1,6570.9%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 South Lake Tahoe, California, so they do not add up across cities.

South Lake Tahoe, California's figures are part of those of El Dorado County, CA ($40.6M 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: South Lake Tahoe is mostly in El Dorado County.

See federal money in El Dorado 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.

South Lake Tahoe, California is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

El Dorado County85100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA65

Other cities and towns in El Dorado 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/0673108

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends