Hot desert
Cottonwood, California
Kern County, California · Population 3.1k · 427 ft elevation
Living in Cottonwood
Cottonwood has a hot desert climate: scorching summers (July highs around 98°F) and mild winters (January lows around 39°F).
Precipitation is very dry at about 7″ a year, and it essentially never sees snow.
Skies are exceptionally sunny (83% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is poor: a median AQI of 70, with about 65 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
Cottonwood at a glance
- Population
- 3.1k
- Elevation
- 427 ft
- Average daily high
- 78°F84th percentile
- Average daily low
- 53°F79th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 7″1th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 0″0th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,734 hrs96th percentile
- Median AQI
- 7097th percentile
- Median home value
- $256k49th percentile
- Median rent
- $947/mo29th percentile
- Median household income
- $40k5th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.49%8th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 13.3%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 15.7%
- Homes with broadband
- 92%55th percentile
- Walkability index
- 10.570th percentile
- Average commute
- 22 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 18%10th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 33%
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9986th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 7574th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 1%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 8%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 4,068 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°F | 39°F | 1.3″ | 0.1″ | 215 hrs |
| Feb | 64°F | 41°F | 1.3″ | — | 211 hrs |
| Mar | 70°F | 45°F | 1.2″ | — | 279 hrs |
| Apr | 75°F | 49°F | 0.6″ | — | 314 hrs |
| May | 83°F | 57°F | 0.3″ | — | 378 hrs |
| Jun | 91°F | 64°F | 0.0″ | — | 415 hrs |
| Jul | 98°F | 70°F | 0.0″ | — | 415 hrs |
| Aug | 96°F | 69°F | 0.0″ | — | 399 hrs |
| Sep | 91°F | 64°F | 0.1″ | — | 349 hrs |
| Oct | 80°F | 54°F | 0.2″ | — | 304 hrs |
| Nov | 67°F | 44°F | 0.5″ | — | 245 hrs |
| Dec | 59°F | 38°F | 1.0″ | — | 210 hrs |
Near Cottonwood
- Potomac Park, CA · 11k
- Benton Park, CA · 5.7k
- East Bakersfield, CA · 10k
- Hillcrest, CA · 10k
- Rexland Acres, CA · 3.7k
- Bakersfield, CA · 408k
- Old Stine, CA · 3.8k
- La Cresta, CA · 8.6k
Largest places in California
- Los Angeles, CA · 3.9M
- San Diego, CA · 1.4M
- San Jose, CA · 990k
- San Francisco, CA · 836k
- Fresno, CA · 544k
- Sacramento, CA · 525k
- Long Beach, CA · 458k
- Oakland, CA · 438k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology