Best PlacesVandenberg AFB, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Vandenberg AFB, 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.
Vandenberg AFB ranks 12,406th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Vandenberg AFB
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.
Vandenberg AFB's strengths and weaknesses
Where Vandenberg AFB ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of towns
- Short commute11.2 minutes each way, better than 99% of towns
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 176 pleasant days a year, better than 98% of towns
- Air qualityBetter than 96% of towns
Where Vandenberg AFB ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of towns
- Cheap childcare$1,613 a month, better than only 2% of towns
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 2% of towns
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of towns
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 8% of towns
Who lives in Vandenberg AFB
Vandenberg AFB runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Vandenberg AFB.
Who works in Vandenberg AFB, and how
Work in Vandenberg AFB centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in Vandenberg AFB
The coast is about 27 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Vandenberg AFB, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Vandenberg AFB, month by month
Vandenberg AFB sees roughly 176 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 68 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs May through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 52° | 42° |
| April | 65° | 54° | 45° |
| July | 68° | 58° | 52° |
| October | 73° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of Vandenberg AFB
The nearest airport, Santa Maria Public/Capt G Allan Hancock Field, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bob Hope, about 130 miles away.
The best schools in and around Vandenberg AFB
Schools across Vandenberg AFB average a B−, better than 68% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Crestview ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Vandenberg MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Cabrillo HighA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Vandenberg AFB school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Vandenberg AFB 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 Vandenberg AFB against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Vandenberg AFB
Is Vandenberg AFB a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Vandenberg AFB ranks 12,406th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on population health, short commutes, and few empty homes, and lowest on civic engagement and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Vandenberg AFB safe?
Vandenberg AFB is safer than 29% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $396 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Vandenberg AFB?
July highs average about 68 degrees, and January highs near 64 with lows near 42. That works out to about 176 pleasant days a year, more than 98% of towns.
Compare Vandenberg AFB with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Vandenberg AFB. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Vandenberg AFB 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.
Vandenberg AFB detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Vandenberg AFB: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Vandenberg AFB: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Vandenberg AFB: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Vandenberg AFB: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Vandenberg AFB 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.
- 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.