Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety20#739/924
Economy5#882/925
Housing1#918/925
Health20#741/925
Healthcare34#607/923
Environment96#36/917
Education17#769/925
Infrastructure20#740/925
Community12#816/925
Leisure & amenities42#536/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Clearlake, CA micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Drought exposure · low0%
99/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high3.3 /10k
97/100California 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high32.4%
90/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · low31
89/100California 602025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Adult obesity · low32.8%
83/100California 30.4%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
81/100California 12.4%2025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high89.9 /100k
0/100California 20.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · high183 /100k
1/100California 67 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · high7.3%
1/100California 5.5%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Rent-burdened households · high61.9%
2/100California 55.3%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Average commute time · high32.4 min
2/100California 28.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent as share of income · high36.3%
2/100California 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.

Drought exposureImproving
100% (2021) → 0% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−100 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesWorsening
84.3% (2010 & 2021) → 71.8% (2022 & 2024)
−13 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.6% (2015-2019) → 87.1% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Homicide rateImproving
6.9 /100k (2021) → 3.3 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−52%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.6 /10k (2020) → 0.9 /10k (2025)
+51%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Firearm deathsWorsening
11.0 /100k (2021) → 16.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+47%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k

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, Clearlake, CA micropolitan area improved on 12 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 11. 8 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Libraries+14%0.8 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Arts & recreation+39%1.9 /10k → 2.7 /10k
Gyms+51%0.6 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Weekly wage+27%$847 → $1,076
Unemployment−3.9 points11.2% → 7.3%

Declined11

Firearm deaths+80%9.0 /100k → 16.2 /100k
Suicides+47%16.1 /100k → 23.6 /100k
Rent / income+4.3 points32.0% → 36.3%
Overdose deaths+36%66.0 /100k → 89.9 /100k
Rent burden+8.7 points53.1% → 61.9%

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Clearlake, CA micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.9 /10k2020	2.7 /10k2025	+39%	Improved	93%
Average commute time	30.7 min2015-2019	32.4 min2020-2024	+1.7 min	Within the margin of error	17%
Average weekly wage	$8472020	$1,0762025	+27%	Improved	79%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.5%2015-2019	17.8%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Improved	39%
Broadband subscriptions	76.6%2015-2019	87.1%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	66%
Child poverty rate	23.8%2015-2019	20.3%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Distance to an airport	65 mi2020	65 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	66.0 /100k2020	89.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+36%	Declined	12%
Effective property tax rate	0.74%2015-2019	0.72%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Firearm deaths	9.0 /100k2020	16.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+80%	Declined	4%
Grocery stores	3.7 /10k2020	3.2 /10k2025	−11%	Declined	21%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.6 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+51%	Improved	89%
High school diploma or higher	85.8%2015-2019	87.6%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Home price to income ratio	4.7×2015-2019	5.3×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	27%
Homicide rate	6.3 /100k2020	3.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−48%	Improved	75%
Income adjusted for local prices	$39,3482019	$52,5862024	+34%	Improved	63%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4822015-2019	0.4842020-2024	+0.003	Within the margin of error	46%
Median household income	$47,0402015-2019	$60,6212020-2024	+29%	Improved	60%
New business applications	6.1 /1k2020	7.8 /1k2025	+27%	Improved	23%
Pharmacies	1.5 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−19%	Declined	22%
Poverty rate	18.6%2015-2019	17.0%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Property crime rate	1,830 /100k2020	1,156 /100k2025	−37%	Improved	58%
Public libraries	0.8 /10k2019	0.9 /10k2024	+14%	Improved	94%
Public transit commuters	0.7%2015-2019	0.7%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Rent as share of income	32.0%2015-2019	36.3%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Declined	5%
Rent-burdened households	53.1%2015-2019	61.9%2020-2024	+8.7 points	Declined	6%
Restaurants and bars	7.2 /10k2020	6.6 /10k2025	−7.6%	Declined	18%
Suicide rate	16.1 /100k2020	23.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+47%	Declined	9%
Traffic deaths	23.0 /100k2015-2019	29.6 /100k2020-2024	+29%	Declined	19%
Unemployment rate	11.2%2020	7.3%2025	−3.9 points	Improved	76%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.0%2015-2019	8.9%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Violent crime rate	551 /100k2020	594 /100k2025	+7.7%	Declined	19%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Clearlake, CA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Clearlake, CA micropolitan area 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, Clearlake, CA micropolitan area itself moved −3.2 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

68,152 residents

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

26,940 households (±631)

Clearlake, CA micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k21%5,675
$25k–50k20%5,418
$50k–75k19%5,201

Homes

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

Owners and renters

26,940 households (±631)

Clearlake, CA micropolitan area
United States share

Own72%19,441
Rent28%7,499

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+5.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

24,224 workers (±924)

Clearlake, CA micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone71%17,163
Carpool9.9%2,393
Public transit0.7%†172

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 no occupation wages for Clearlake, CA micropolitan area.

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.

Clearlake, CA has 1,089 employer establishments, 160 for every 10,000 residents (0.64× the US rate of 248), with 10,063 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,409. The Census Bureau also counts 3,891 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,089; 3,891 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 160; US 248
Paid employees: 10,063
Average annual pay: $51,409; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	105	15.4	1.00×About typical	451	$65,186	249
Restaurants and other eating places	95	14	0.76×Fewer than typical	961	$23,175	17
Ambulatory health care services	68	10	0.48×Fewer than typical	758	$78,215	164
Lessors of real estate	67	9.8	0.80×Fewer than typical	152	$42,204	292
Construction of buildings	64	9.4	1.24×About typical	224	$52,263	232
Full-service restaurants	39	5.7	0.75×Fewer than typical	322	$24,034	8
Limited-service restaurants	39	5.7	0.71×Fewer than typical	477	$24,516	4
Building equipment contractors	34	5	0.83×About typical	149	$64,463	58
Automotive repair and maintenance	32	4.7	0.93×About typical	105	$47,581	75
Building finishing contractors	32	4.7	1.24×About typical	85	$37,847	83
Individual and family services	32	4.7	1.68×More than typical	545	$43,582	28
Grocery and convenience stores	31	4.6	1.54×More than typical	889	$35,042	5

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 68,026 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $10.1M on contracts performed in Clearlake, CA micropolitan area: $148 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $10.1M
Per resident: $148; US $1,994
Sole-source: 7.4%; US 30%
Single offer: 92%; 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

Environmental Protection Agency$9.1M91%
Department of the Navy$641.4K6.4%

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $481.5M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Clearlake, CA micropolitan area: $7,104 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $481.5M; −5.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,104; US $12,955
Loan face value: $13.8M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$289.8M60%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$46.5M9.7%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$44.4M9.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$24.9M5.2%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$21.3M4.4%
14.867 · Indian Housing Block Grants$9.8M2.0%
14.862 · Indian Community Development Block Grant Program$6.8M1.4%
10.427 · Rural Rental Assistance Payments$3.7M0.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

NORTHERN CIRCLE INDIAN HOUSING AUTHORITY$15.1M3.1%
UKIAH, CA
HABEMATOLEL POMO OF UPPER LAKE$3.9M0.8%
UPPER LAKE, CA
BIG VALLEY BAND OF POMO INDIANS$3.7M0.8%
LAKEPORT, CA
LAKE, COUNTY OF$2.9M0.6%
LAKEPORT, CA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CALIFORNIA

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$380.3M79%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$52.3M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$18.3M3.8%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Rural Housing Service$3.7M0.8%
Department of Agriculture
Federal Communications Commission

Assistance by fiscal year

478.5MFY2021
455MFY2022
464.7MFY2023
479.3MFY2024
510.6MFY2025
481.5MFY2026

County aggregates

90%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Clearlake, CA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Lake CountyCentral county2167,772

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

ClearlakePrincipal city16,659

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in California

Areas based in California, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M17340

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined11

Metro and micro areas like Clearlake, CA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Clearlake, CA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in California

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined11

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards