Best PlacesDowntown Waterford, Waterford, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Waterford, Waterford, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown Waterford, Waterford ranks 3,253rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Waterford, Waterford
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Downtown Waterford, Waterford's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Waterford, Waterford ranks high
- QuietBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 75% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Waterford, Waterford ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD+, better than only 18% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Waterford, Waterford
A household needs to earn about $100,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Waterford, Waterford home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $83,707, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Downtown Waterford, Waterford's effective rate of 0.60%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Waterford, Waterford
Downtown Waterford, Waterford runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown Waterford, Waterford.
Who works in Downtown Waterford, Waterford, and how
Work in Downtown Waterford, Waterford centers on manufacturing and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Downtown Waterford, Waterford
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Downtown Waterford, Waterford.
What the weather is like in Downtown Waterford, Waterford, month by month
Downtown Waterford, Waterford sees roughly 148 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 59, with lows near 39. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 49° | 39° |
| April | 77° | 62° | 48° |
| July | 98° | 81° | 63° |
| October | 82° | 65° | 51° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Waterford, Waterford
The nearest airport, Merced Yosemite Regional, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Norman Y Mineta San Jose International, about 67 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Waterford, Waterford
Schools across Downtown Waterford, Waterford average a D+, better than 18% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Richard M. Moon PrimaryD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Waterford JuniorD · 21% proficient
- Lucille Whitehead IntermediateD− · 19% proficient
Top high schools
- Waterford HighD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Waterford, Waterford school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Waterford, Waterford measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Downtown Waterford, Waterford against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Waterford, Waterford
Is Downtown Waterford, Waterford a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Waterford, Waterford ranks 3,253rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on quiet, few empty homes, and cell coverage, and lowest on education levels and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Waterford, Waterford expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $394,715. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $83,707 median income, cost of living beats 46% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Waterford, Waterford safe?
Yes, Downtown Waterford, Waterford is safer than 67% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $390 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Waterford, Waterford with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Waterford, Waterford. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Waterford, Waterford represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Downtown Waterford, Waterford detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Waterford, Waterford: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Waterford, Waterford: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Waterford, Waterford: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Waterford, Waterford: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Waterford, Waterford detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.