| | Thornton, CA | Modesto, CA | United States |
| Population | 889 | 217,728 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 53.2% | 50.8% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 46.8% | 49.2% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 29.4 | 34.9 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 847 | 203,278 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 1,184 | 188,856 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 825 | 164,730 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -16.1% | 14.2% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 20.5% | 30.9% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 416.8 | 5,066.2 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 2.1 | 43.0 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.1 | 1.8 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Thornton, CA | Modesto, CA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 8.2% | 7.0% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 13.2% | 7.3% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 7.3% | 7.7% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 7.8% | 4.3% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 0.0% | 3.5% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 8.3% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 16.6% | 15.4% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 9.1% | 12.4% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 9.6% | 12.0% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.1% | 6.3% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 6.2% | 5.4% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 4.2% | 8.5% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 3.8% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 0.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Thornton, CA | Modesto, CA | United States |
| White | 29.9% | 41.4% | 59.4% |
| Black | 2.6% | 4.3% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 7.2% | 7.4% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.0% | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 1.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 2.6% | 3.0% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 57.7% | 42.0% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Thornton, CA | Modesto, CA | United States |
| Married Population | 49.5% | 47.3% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 45.0% | 45.2% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 4.6% | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 50.5% | 52.7% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 37.2% | 36.2% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 10.4% | 11.0% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 2.8% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 3.18 | 2.99 | 2.60 |
| Households | 280 | 71,879 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 214 | 51,510 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 26.2% | 32.6% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 23.8% | 34.5% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 66 | 20,369 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 37.9% | 19.9% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 12.2% | 13.1% | 10.8% |