CitytisticsShortlist

El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CA vs McMinnville, OR

El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)

California

vs

McMinnville

Oregon

Across 39 directional measures we can compare, El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) leads on 14 and McMinnville on 25. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 44% higher in El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,981$1,380
El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) is 44% higher
Median household income
$92,228$73,736
El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) is 25% higher
Median home value
$687,200$432,800
El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) is 59% higher

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $67,600 a year left in El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) and $56,400 in McMinnville. Money goes further in El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), by about $11,200 a year.
  • A household earning El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)'s median of $92,228 would need about $85,000 in McMinnville to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 1.6 points a year in El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), and rent outran pay by 0.6 points a year in McMinnville.

How these are calculated

CaliforniaOregonMcMinnville, OREl Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CAEl Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)McMinnvilleEl Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)McMinnville

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01McMinnville, ORComposite 47.7 / 100
44
25403652766667
02El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CAComposite 38.6 / 100
21
11454531465576

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureEl Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)McMinnvilleAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,981$1,380
Rent to income125.8%22.5%
Property tax rate10.7%0.8%
Home price to income17.5x5.9x
Prices vs US average2108.6105.4
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$2,720$1,878
HUD area median income4$129,600$128,300
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$4,600$3,619
Median home value1$687,200$432,800
Home prices, 1-year change53.3%3.1%
Home prices, 5-year change547.5%39.8%
Homeownership161.3%62.9%
Renters paying 30%+160.1%58.0%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,667$1,819
Vacant homes17.2%3.8%
Median year built119871991
Jobs and income
Median household income1$92,228$73,736
Income per person1$44,628$35,302
Unemployment16.3%5.5%
Average annual pay6$64,561$57,280
Pay growth, 1 year65.3%4.2%
Jobs6121,63439,978
Poverty rate113.1%16.0%
Mean commute126 min21 min
Works from home111.4%12.2%
Commutes by transit10.6%0.3%
People
Population131,44634,596
Population change since 202070.4%0.7%
Median age138.738.9
Bachelor's or higher129.7%25.8%
High school or higher188.0%87.3%
Household size12.62.5
Born abroad115.2%9.6%
No health insurance19.2%6.6%
Homes with broadband194.4%93.2%
Moving
Moved here in the past year13.5%6.0%
Moved from another state11.5%1.9%
Net movers per 1,000 people80.74.0
Income of households moving in8$103,683$82,146
Income of households moving out8$77,168$65,962
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k930.920.7
Shops per 10k938.327.6
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k95.52.1
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k930.917.3
Child care centers per 10k93.62.7
Parks per 10k108.915.6
Playgrounds per 10k1015.910.4
Grocery stores per 10k101.62.9
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1033.116.2
Libraries per 10k100.31.2
Named paths and bike trails108.86.5
Transit stops per sq mi101.33.2
Nearest National Park Service site1165.238.3
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1101
National Register listings12387
Founded or incorporated13n/a1856
Safety
Violent crime per 100k14348163
Property crime per 100k141,5421,267
Schools
Public schools15828
Public school students1532,7205,922
Students per teacher1521.218.1
Climate
July average high1688°F80°F
January average low1638°F36°F
Average temperature1660°F52°F
Annual precipitation1617.1 in60.1 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1795.982.9
Tornado risk176.118.4
Wildfire risk1798.352.1
Heat wave risk1778.788.3
Median air quality index185041
Good air days1852.3%69.9%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) $79,240, McMinnville $55,200 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. 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.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Wikidata · Wikimedia Foundation (CC0) · Retrieved 2026-11
  14. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  15. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  16. 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
  17. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  18. 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).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

Other places people weigh against these two, and each one in full.