Best PlacesUniversity Park, Irvine, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University Park, Irvine, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
University Park, Irvine ranks 219th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in University Park, Irvine
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.
University Park, Irvine's strengths and weaknesses
Where University Park, Irvine ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 327 pleasant days a year, better than 99% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Household income$137,695 median, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 86% of neighborhoods
Where University Park, Irvine ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,494 a month, better than only 21% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University Park, Irvine
A household needs to earn about $281,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University Park, Irvine home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $137,695, 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 University Park, Irvine's effective rate of 0.59%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in University Park, Irvine
University Park, Irvine runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for University Park, Irvine.
Who works in University Park, Irvine, and how
Work in University Park, Irvine centers on manufacturing and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 28%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in University Park, Irvine
The coast is about 8 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across University Park, Irvine, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University Park, Irvine, month by month
University Park, Irvine sees roughly 327 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 69, with lows near 48. Every month averages in that range.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 69° | 58° | 48° |
| April | 73° | 63° | 56° |
| July | 81° | 72° | 66° |
| October | 81° | 69° | 61° |
Flying in and out of University Park, Irvine
John Wayne/Orange County sits about 3 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.5 million passengers in 2025, with 80 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around University Park, Irvine
Schools across University Park, Irvine average a B+, better than 86% of neighborhoods.
Top high schools
- University HighA+ · 85% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University Park, Irvine school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University Park, Irvine 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 University Park, Irvine against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in University Park, Irvine
Is University Park, Irvine a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University Park, Irvine ranks 219th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on the weather, low crime, and big-city access, and lowest on an overheated housing market and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University Park, Irvine expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,106,442. The overall cost of living runs about 62% above the national average. Set against a $137,695 median income, cost of living beats 54% of neighborhoods.
Is University Park, Irvine safe?
Yes, University Park, Irvine is safer than 96% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $198 per resident a year.
Compare University Park, Irvine with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University Park, Irvine. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University Park, Irvine 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.
University Park, Irvine detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University Park, Irvine: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University Park, Irvine: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University Park, Irvine: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University Park, Irvine: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University Park, Irvine 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.