Best PlacesCalifornia City, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around California City, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
California City ranks 45,657th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in California City
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
California City's strengths and weaknesses
Where California City ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 170 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of towns
- Big-city accessBetter than 92% of towns
- TransitBetter than 91% of towns
- BikingBetter than 88% of towns
- Cell coverageBetter than 84% of towns
Where California City ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 1% of towns
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 2% of towns
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 2% of towns
- Short commute43.3 minutes each way, better than only 3% of towns
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 4% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in California City
A household needs to earn about $70,000 a year to comfortably buy the median California City home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $60,684, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses California City's effective rate of 0.69%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in California City
California City runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for California City.
Who works in California City, and how
Work in California City centers on retail trade and public administration. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in California City
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across California City.
What the weather is like in California City, month by month
California City sees roughly 170 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 104 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 44° | 29° |
| April | 80° | 61° | 43° |
| July | 104° | 86° | 66° |
| October | 84° | 63° | 44° |
Flying in and out of California City
The nearest airport, Meadows Field, is about 66 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bob Hope, about 68 miles away.
The best schools in and around California City
Schools across California City average a C, better than 46% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Las Flores ElementaryC+ · 36% proficient
- West Boron ElementaryD− · 13% proficient
Top middle schools
- James Monroe MiddleD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Burroughs HighB · 47% proficient
- Desert Junior-senior HighC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every California City school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
California City measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare California City against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in California City
Is California City a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, California City ranks 45,657th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on the weather, big-city access, and transit, and lowest on air quality and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is California City expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $273,510. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $60,684 median income, cost of living beats 11% of towns.
Is California City safe?
California City is safer than 15% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $527 per resident a year.
Compare California City with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to California City. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in California City represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
California City detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for California City: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in California City: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of California City: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in California City: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
California City detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.