What it's like to live in Colton
Colton is a smaller city in California. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Colton deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, unemployment above the national average, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
How Colton compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Colton
Based on Colton's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,322
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $66,440 a year
- 55% of Colton renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$88,760
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $44,380
- Homes cost 6.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 18% above US
$1,661/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,661 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $443,800. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $443,800 · 55% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 28% above US
5.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.5%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
SafetyNear US average
345 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1872/100k · Colton Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 44°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 54% below US
17% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
16 public schools inside the boundary
There are 16 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (14 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nothing in Colton's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,661/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Colton
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