Citytistics
Shortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.46° N · 121.26° W · GEOID 0612612

Challenge-Brownsville

Yuba County, California · part of the Yuba City, CA metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000

CaliforniaChallenge-Brownsville, CAChallenge-BrownsvilleChallenge-Brownsville

The short answer

Challenge-Brownsville is home to 887 people. Median household income is $99,511 a year and median rent is $842 a month, 10.2% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $344,200, about 3.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$842
38% below the median place
Median household income
$99,511
24% above the median place
Median home value
$344,200
8% above the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Challenge-Brownsville

  • 0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,473 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 654 California places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 601 California places.
  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 630 California places.
  • The median rent takes only 10.2% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 655 California places.
  • Household income has grown 13.6% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 98% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 81 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Challenge-Brownsville

Yuba County gains about 12.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in6,431
Moved out5,582
Net+849

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Sutter County, CA1,3181,113+205
Sacramento County, CA1,669617+1,052
Placer County, CA479445+34
Butte County, CA273300−27
Nevada County, CA129135−6
Yolo County, CA13988+51
Solano County, CA111
Alameda County, CA104

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$58K
Leavers$53K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Yuba County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
9.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Yuba County report $57,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $53,100, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$33,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $842 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,377 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $344,200.
Getting to work
32 minutes each way on average; 8.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Alvarado, TX matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7
12.9
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$53,053
25% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureChallenge-BrownsvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure9.4%63% above
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure12.9above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$57,72918% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$53,05325% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 0.0%, below the median place (median 50.6%).

Challenge-Brownsville10.2%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$33,680
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
10.2%
50% below the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
9% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
10%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$86,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Challenge-Brownsville, $842 a month, and local prices for everything else (103.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Challenge-Brownsville.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Challenge-Brownsville? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
0.0%
below the median place (median 50.6%)
Property tax rate1
0.4%
56% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,392
57% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureChallenge-BrownsvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$84238% below
Rent to income110.2%50% below
Property tax rate10.4%56% below
Home price to income13.5x9% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure104.23% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,6001% below
HUD area median income4County figure$101,9005% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,39257% below
Median home value1$344,2008% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure0.6%80% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure37.4%27% below
Homeownership182.4%24% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,37726% below
Vacant homes1County figure6.6%6% below
Median year built119760% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
21.1%
96% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureChallenge-BrownsvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$99,51124% above
Income per person1$29,55626% below
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay6County figure$69,7816% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.3%16% above
Jobs6County figure20,97586% below
Poverty rate121.1%96% above
Mean commute1County figure32 min30% above
Works from home1County figure8.7%30% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Bachelor's or higher is 0.0%, below the median place (median 32.1%).

Bachelor's or higher1
0.0%
below the median place (median 32.1%)
Homes with broadband1
82.1%
11% below the median place
Household size1
2.4
4% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureChallenge-BrownsvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18876646th largest
Median age1County figure34.212% below
Bachelor's or higher10.0%below (median 32.1%)
High school or higher1County figure85.7%7% below
Household size12.44% below
Born abroad1County figure11.5%30% above
No health insurance1County figure6.4%0% above
Homes with broadband182.1%11% below
05

Life in Challenge-Brownsville

11 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars10.5 −50%
Shops15.6 −49%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.7 −59%
Doctors' offices and clinics5.9 −71%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Shops per 10k8
15.6
49% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
5.9
71% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
10.5
50% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureChallenge-BrownsvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure41356% above
Public school students10County figure16,045228% above
Students per teacher10County figure21.238% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure10.550% below
Shops per 10k8County figure15.649% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure1.759% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure5.971% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.822% below
National Register listings9County figure1115% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Tornado risk is 14.9, 82% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Challenge-Brownsville. Larger places are fetched first.

Tornado risk12
14.9
82% below the median place
July average high11
94°F
8% above the median place
Heat wave risk12
54.1
40% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureChallenge-BrownsvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure94°F8% above
January average low11County figure38°F50% above
Average temperature11County figure61°F11% above
Annual precipitation11County figure38.2 in13% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure80.913% below
Tornado risk12County figure14.982% below
Wildfire risk12County figure96.858% above
Heat wave risk12County figure54.140% below
Median air quality index13Metro figure479% above
Good air days13Metro figure63.2%8% below
08

Challenge-Brownsville in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$99,511 (2023)$135,000$112,500 to $161,500+4.4%
Median home value$344,200 (2024)$481,000$349,000 to $663,000+5.7%

The median home would be worth 3.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Challenge-Brownsville

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Alvarado, TX$788$80,523Compare
Kermit, TX$1,071$81,170Compare
Estacada, OR$682$94,435Compare
Coachella, CA$1,144$68,596Compare
Coachella, CAEstacada, ORKermit, TXAlvarado, TXChallenge-Brownsville, CAChallenge-BrownsvilleAlvaradoKermitEstacadaCoachellaChallenge-BrownsvilleAlvaradoKermitEstacadaCoachella

Compare Challenge-Brownsville with

Common questions

Is Challenge-Brownsville a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,473 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 654 California places. Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 601 California places. On cost, space and class size it scores 70 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Challenge-Brownsville expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 10.2% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $344,200.

What salary do you need to live in Challenge-Brownsville?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $33,680 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Challenge-Brownsville?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Alvarado, TX, Kermit, TX, Estacada, OR and Coachella, CA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Challenge-Brownsville with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Challenge-Brownsville itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/challenge-brownsville-california

Citytistics. “Challenge-Brownsville, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/challenge-brownsville-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.