What it's like to live in Los Banos
Los Banos is a small city in California with a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Los Banos deals with home prices well above the national average, unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, and long average commutes.
The good
- Growing population
The not so good
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Long commutes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
How Los Banos compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Los Banos
Based on Los Banos's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,114
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $62,280 a year
- 56% of Los Banos renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$88,180
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $44,090
- Homes cost 6.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 10% above US
$1,557/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,557 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $440,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $440,900 · 56% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 181% above US
12.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 12.1%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 23% below US
253 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1468/100k · Los Banos Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 110% above US
55 min average commute
Commutes run long, averaging 54.6 minutes, and that's just the average, meaning a lot of people are doing significantly more. This isn't a city where living far from the office is a comfortable bet. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 40°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 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 65% below US
13% 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 and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 24:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Pinnacles National Park (44 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Los Banos's strongest point is a growing population; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and unemployment above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,557/mo) equals 27% 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, people who dread long commutes, and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Los Banos
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