Modesto has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Modesto without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Modesto: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$133,380 median income · $682,800 median home price
Located in
San Joaquin County, California
Ripon is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Modesto area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Ripon.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $133,380 a year, which is the highest in the Modesto region. And only 2.7% are out of work. Homes average more than $682,800 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$121,119 median income · $696,047 median home price
Located in
San Joaquin County, California
Tracy is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Modesto for 2026.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 5.4% of residents lack insurance, good for 10th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,055 median income · $587,965 median home price
Located in
San Joaquin County, California
Here in Manteca, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Modesto metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Manteca.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$126,421 median income · $646,012 median home price
Located in
San Joaquin County, California
Lathrop ranks as the 4th best suburb of Modesto for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Lathrop and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$93,650 median income · $509,809 median home price
Located in
Stanislaus County, California
Coming in as the fifth best is Patterson.
Patterson gets kudos for having the 8th most expensive homes in the Modesto area, where houses sell for an average of $509,809. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$87,966 median income · $487,072 median home price
Located in
Stanislaus County, California
Riverbank is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 8.6%.
According to online reports, Riverbank is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Modesto area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$82,995 median income · $483,265 median home price
Located in
Stanislaus County, California
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Turlock.
Turlock schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 12.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$81,467 median income · $601,490 median home price
Located in
San Joaquin County, California
Escalon is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 6.3% of people lack insurance, good for 12th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$91,557 median income · $551,115 median home price
Located in
Stanislaus County, California
Is ‘Everything Better In Hughson?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$83,091 median income · $557,020 median home price
Located in
Stanislaus County, California
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Oakdale.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
California statewide median: $99,122
California statewide median: $774,582
California statewide median: 6.6%
On the map
Where the best Modesto suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Modesto for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Modesto was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Modesto.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 6,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 17 suburbs to evaluate around Modesto.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 17 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Modesto.” We’re lookin’ at you, Ripon.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Modesto suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Modesto Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ripon | 3.57 | 16,201 | $133,380 | $682,800 |
| 2 | Tracy | 4.86 | 96,966 | $121,119 | $696,047 |
| 3 | Manteca | 5.07 | 89,043 | $97,055 | $587,965 |
| 4 | Lathrop | 6.86 | 35,052 | $126,421 | $646,012 |
| 5 | Patterson | 7.43 | 24,693 | $93,650 | $509,809 |
| 6 | Riverbank | 7.57 | 25,166 | $87,966 | $487,072 |
| 7 | Turlock | 7.71 | 72,502 | $82,995 | $483,265 |
| 8 | Escalon | 7.71 | 7,451 | $81,467 | $601,490 |
| 9 | Hughson | 8.29 | 7,648 | $91,557 | $551,115 |
| 10 | Oakdale | 9.50 | 23,194 | $83,091 | $557,020 |
| 11 | Gustine | 10.43 | 6,133 | $59,532 | $423,282 |
| 12 | Stockton | 10.86 | 322,326 | $79,907 | $431,328 |
| 13 | Newman | 11.14 | 12,316 | $78,906 | $438,320 |
| 14 | Ceres | 11.57 | 49,342 | $79,025 | $454,823 |
| 15 | Waterford | 12.14 | 9,204 | $74,343 | $429,372 |
| 16 | Livingston | 13.57 | 14,606 | $74,494 | $426,446 |
| 17 | Atwater | 14.71 | 32,162 | $64,472 | $422,471 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 17 suburbs within 30 miles of Modesto.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Modesto ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Modesto are Ripon, Tracy, Manteca, Lathrop, Patterson, Riverbank, Turlock, Escalon, Hughson, and Oakdale.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Modesto but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Modesto FAQs
What is the best suburb of Modesto?
Ripon is the best suburb of Modesto for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Tracy and Manteca are next.
What are the best suburbs of Modesto?
The best suburbs of Modesto are Ripon, Tracy, Manteca, Lathrop, Patterson, Riverbank, Turlock, Escalon, Hughson, and Oakdale. We ranked all 17 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Ripon?
The median household income in Ripon is $133,380 and the median home costs $682,800. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Modesto?
Any place within 30 miles of Modesto qualifies. 17 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Modesto suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Ripon, takes the crown.
