Corning, CA · standard
ZIP Code 96021
Tehama County, California - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 16,097
- 26/sq mi
- $59,592
- Median income
- $314,000
- Median home value
- 14.1%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Corning pairs a below-median household income with above-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 28th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- Top 31%
- home value, US ZIPs
- 26
- people per sq mi
- 66%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 96021 against every reporting US ZIP.
FHFA HPI release change
What changed in the latest House Price Index year
- FHFA House Price Index values in ZIP 96021 (Corning, CA) rose +11.4% from 2023 to 2024. The all-transactions index moved from 281.3 in 2023 to 313.4 in 2024 (2000 = 100).
ZIP code 96021 is a mid-sized community (a standard USPS delivery area) in Corning, Tehama County, California, home to 16,097 residents across 616.7 square miles, a density of 26 people per square mile, in the Los Angeles time zone.
ZIP 96021 reports a modest median household income of $59,592 (41% below the average California ZIP), while per-capita income is $26,539. The poverty rate is 17.4%, with unemployment at 3.3%; those measures add context to the income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $314,000 (59% below the average California ZIP), and median rent is $949; owner occupancy is 66.0%.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 14.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 35.3, and the average commute is 23 minutes. The page also surfaces 2 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Tehama County, so 96021 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Top industries in ZIP 96021
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Corning, CA
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 96021.
- Retail trade
Retail trade
44 establishments
- Accommodation and food services
Accommodation and food services
36 establishments
- Construction
Construction
31 establishments
- Health care and social assistance
Health care and social assistance
23 establishments
- Other services (except public administration)
Other services (except public administration)
19 establishments
What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 96021, Corning, CA · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
16,097
Population
616.7
Area (sq mi)
26
People / sq mi
Los Angeles
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 96021?
35.3
Median Age
49.1%
Male
50.9%
Female
23.5%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$59,592
Median Household Income
-41% vs state ZIP avg
$26,539
Per Capita Income
17.4%
Poverty Rate
3.3%
Unemployment Rate
22.7 min
Mean Commute Time
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
5,873housing units
5,873
Total Housing Units
5,310
Occupied Units
563
Vacant Units
2.77
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$314,000
Median Home Value
-59% vs state ZIP avg
$949
Median Rent
1984
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How have home values changed over time?
FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals
+11.4%
YoY Change (2024)
313
HPI Index (2000 = 100)
+213%
Total Change Since 2000
Home values in ZIP 96021 have increased 11.4% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +213% cumulative appreciation.
| Year | Annual Change | HPI Index |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +2.6% | 239 |
| 2021 | +12.5% | 269 |
| 2022 | +19.8% | 322 |
| 2023 | -12.6% | 281 |
| 2024 | +11.4% | 313 |
Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 229 business establishments in ZIP 96021, employing approximately 3,029 people with a combined annual payroll of $152,621,000.
229
Businesses
3,029
Employees
$152.6M
Annual Payroll
14
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 44 | 19.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 36 | 15.7% |
| Construction | 31 | 13.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 23 | 10.0% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 19 | 8.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 15 | 6.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 10 | 4.4% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 9 | 3.9% |
| Manufacturing | 8 | 3.5% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 8 | 3.5% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 7 | 3.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 5 | 2.2% |
| Information | 5 | 2.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 3 | 1.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 96021 vs 96035 →
ZIP 96021 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 96021
Corning (96021)
16,097 residents
- 96035 3,324
Gerber (96035)
3,324 residents
- 96090 421
Tehama (96090)
421 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 96021 ranks the most populous - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 96021 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 96090
Tehama (96090)
$70,893 median income
- 96021
Corning (96021)
$59,592 median income
- 96035
Gerber (96035)
$49,760 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 96021 ranks #2 of 3 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 96021, both outside CA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (16,097 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.