West Modesto, California

West Modesto is a census-designated place (CDP) in Stanislaus County, California, United States. The population was 5,965 at the 2020 census, up from 5,682 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area.

West Modesto
Unincorporated Community Census Designated Place
Location in Stanislaus County and the state of California
Coordinates: 37°37′20″N 121°1′44″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Stanislaus
Area [1]
• Total	1.395 sq mi (3.613 km2)
• Land	1.381 sq mi (3.576 km2)
• Water	0.014 sq mi (0.037 km2)  1.03%
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	5,965
• Density	4,300/sq mi (1,700/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95351
Area code	209
FIPS code	06-84578

Geography

West Modesto is located at 37°37′20″N 121°1′44″W (37.622281, -121.028784).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), 98.97% of it land and 1.03% of it water.^[1]

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, West Modesto has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "CSA" on climate maps.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2000	6,096		—
2010	5,682		−6.8%
2020	5,965		5.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1860–1870[6][7] 1880-1890[8] 1900[9] 1910[10] 1920[11] 1930[12] 1940[13] 1950[14] 1960[15] 1970[16] 1980[17] 1990[18] 2000[19] 2010[20]

West Modesto first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. Census.^[19]

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that West Modesto had a population of 5,965. The population density was 4,319.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,667.7/km²). The racial makeup of West Modesto was 31.1% White, 1.7% African American, 2.5% Native American, 5.0% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 47.0% from other races, and 12.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 70.8% of the population.^[21]

The census reported that 99.5% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.^[21]

There were 1,654 households, out of which 46.8% included children under the age of 18, 43.4% were married-couple households, 9.6% were cohabiting couple households, 24.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 22.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 16.6% of households were one person, and 6.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.59.^[21] There were 1,268 families (76.7% of all households).^[22]

The age distribution was 30.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% aged 18 to 24, 26.5% aged 25 to 44, 22.5% aged 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males.^[21]

There were 1,722 housing units at an average density of 1,246.9 units per square mile (481.4 units/km²), of which 1,654 (96.1%) were occupied. Of these, 50.0% were owner-occupied, and 50.0% were occupied by renters.^[21]

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $61,833, and the per capita income was $21,185. About 18.5% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line.^[23]

2010

The 2010 United States Census^[24] reported that West Modesto had a population of 5,682. The population density was 2,796.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,079.6/km²). The racial makeup of West Modesto was 3,020 (53.2%) White, 136 (2.4%) African American, 84 (1.5%) Native American, 263 (4.6%) Asian, 8 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,885 (33.2%) from other races, and 286 (5.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,526 persons (62.1%).

The Census reported that 5,651 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 31 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,593 households, out of which 789 (49.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 757 (47.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 310 (19.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 166 (10.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 167 (10.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 11 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 255 households (16.0%) were made up of individuals, and 104 (6.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.55. There were 1,233 families (77.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.93.

The population was spread out, with 1,755 people (30.9%) under the age of 18, 646 people (11.4%) aged 18 to 24, 1,545 people (27.2%) aged 25 to 44, 1,275 people (22.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 461 people (8.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.5 males.

There were 1,773 housing units at an average density of 872.5 per square mile (336.9/km²), of which 792 (49.7%) were owner-occupied, and 801 (50.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%. 2,682 people (47.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,969 people (52.3%) lived in rental housing units.

Government

In the California State Legislature, West Modesto is in the 4th senatorial district, represented by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil, and the 22nd Assembly district, represented by Republican Juan Alanis.^[25]

In the United States House of Representatives, West Modesto is in California's 13th congressional district, represented by Democrat Adam Gray as of January 2025.