Golden Hills, CA vs Ridgecrest, CA

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricGolden Hills, CARidgecrest, CA
Population9,89128,225
Median Household Income$95,669$89,250
Median Rent$1,377/mo$1,186/mo
Median Home Value$410,300$253,900
Cost of Living (US = 100)101101
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income43.2%36.8%
Poverty Rate17.6%12.5%
Unemployment Rate9% (county)4.7%
Violent Crime Rate /100k1,060*559
Property Crime Rate /100k2,069*864
Median AQI7070
Good AQI Days /yr6464
Summer Highs84°F102°F
Winter Lows31°F32°F
Snowfall—1 in/yr
Avg Commute33.1 min16.9 min
Hospitals—1
Avg Hospital Rating——
Students per Teacher24.221.7
College Degree Rate30%30.9%
Foreign-Born %7.8%7.7%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+11.7%+1.4%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.
* Rate of the agency that polices Golden Hills (the city has no police department of its own), so it isn’t scored.