Is Mount Shasta, CA a Good Place to Live?
Mount Shasta is a small town of 3,235 in California, with a median household income of $47,279 and a 1.6% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 105 (US average = 100), which is 5% above the national average.
Strengths: Mount Shasta stands out for solid school ratings (B+), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Mount Shasta is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Mount Shasta city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 104.8Mount Shasta's overall cost of living index is 104.8, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Mount Shasta costs roughly 5% more than the average American city.
| Metric | Mount Shasta, CA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $280,700 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,306 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 47.2% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $47,279 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Near National AverageMount Shasta's violent crime rate is 694.9 per 100,000 residents — 83% higher than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Mount Shasta is served primarily by Siskiyou Union High. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13.8:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Mount Shasta, CA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Siskiyou Union High | — |
| Elementary Schools | N/A | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | 4 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 13.8:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 32.9% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 96.2% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Mount Shasta sees average highs of 44.4°F in January and 85.2°F in July, with 42.6 inches of annual precipitation and 89.3 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Mount Shasta, CA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 44.4°F |
| Average High — July | 85.2°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 42.6" |
| Annual Snowfall | 89.3" |
Demographics
| Metric | Mount Shasta, CA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,235 | — |
| Median Age | 57.2 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 1.6% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 17.6 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 84.6% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.6% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.9% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.9% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 13.0% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 35.4% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta, CA is covered by 1 ZIP code: