What it's like to live in Shasta Lake
Shasta Lake is a small city in California with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Shasta Lake deals with county unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 63" of rain per year
How Shasta Lake compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Shasta Lake
Based on Shasta Lake's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,596
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $51,920 a year
- 43% of Shasta Lake renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$58,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $29,440
- Homes cost 4.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,298/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,298 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $294,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $294,400 · 43% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in Shasta County is 5.5%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Shasta County (county-wide)
Safety
320 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Shasta Lake doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Shasta County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs close to the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 485/100k · Policed by Shasta County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 25% below US
20 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 19.5 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 94°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 57% below US
15% 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
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (13 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Shasta Lake's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,298/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
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