What it's like to live in Manteca
Manteca is a smaller city in California with household incomes running above the national average and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Manteca deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, unemployment above the national average, and long average commutes.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment
- Long commutes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
How Manteca compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Manteca
Based on Manteca's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,130
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $82,600 a year
- 52% of Manteca renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$117,980
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $58,990
- Homes cost 6.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 46% above US
$2,065/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,065 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $589,900. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $589,900 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 35% above US
5.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.8%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
SafetyNear US average
336 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 1347/100k · Manteca Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 45% above US
38 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 37.6 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 11% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°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
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 40% below US
22% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 22%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
17 public schools inside the boundary
There are 17 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 23:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site (44 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Manteca's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a population that has grown fast since 2020; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,065/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget, anyone moving without a job lined up, and people who dread long commutes.
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