ZIP Code 95521 — Arcata city, CA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 95521 covers Arcata, CA in Humboldt County with a population of about 21,684.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 29.2 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area codes 369, 707; U.S. House district CA-2; the EUREKA media market.

Arcata, CA sits in a university / college context (near california state polytechnic university-humboldt (1.6 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 95521 is about $54,324 — about 28% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 26.7%; unemployment rate near 12.2%; 45.0% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 11.3 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Education, and Retail trade; about 12.7% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 2.5 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $478,600 — about 37% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,154 (about even with the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 36.7% (about 28.7 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 95521 in Arcata, CA, a household would need roughly $132,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $3,074. That is about 143% above the local median household income ($54,324), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Arcata city, CA as Relatively High (composite score 96.8), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (95.5) and flood (94.2). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Arcata city, CA show little to no average snow and around 40.4 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,067 for ZIP 95521 (Arcata city, CA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.