Meadow Valley, California Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 363, Meadow Valley's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Meadow Valley is a small community located in California, within Plumas County. The total population is 363. It ranks as the 1283rd most populous out of 1,570 Census-designated places in California.

Age Demographics

The median age in Meadow Valley is 61.7 years. This is 63% higher than the state median of 37.9 years. 18.5% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Meadow Valley is $61,324. This is 38% lower than the state median of $99,122. It is also 24% lower than the national median of $80,734. The ACS records no residents below the poverty line in Meadow Valley. In a community this small the estimate rests on very few survey responses, so it should be read as an absence of measurement rather than a measured absence of poverty. The survey records no unemployed residents in Meadow Valley, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $306,400. Housing costs are 58% lower than the state median of $734,700. The home-value-to-income ratio is 5.0x. 64.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 15% higher than the state average of 55.9%.

Race & Ethnicity

Meadow Valley has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 94.8% of all residents. Black or African American residents account for 3.3%. The White (non-Hispanic) population is significantly higher than the state average (94.8% vs 33.8%). The Hispanic or Latino population (1.9%) is well below the state average of 40.2%.

Education

19.4% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 48% lower than the state rate of 37.1%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. No surveyed resident aged 25 or older reported leaving school before earning a high school diploma, though a rate of exactly 100% reflects the limits of a small sample.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Meadow Valley, California is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against California state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 1,570 Census-designated places in California. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.