Irvine, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Irvine.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Irvine compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 308,160City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $129,647Incorporated place (ACS)65% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 291ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)191% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $1,115,400City limits (ACS)268% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $2,893City limits (ACS)115% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.5%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 26 minNear U.S. avg (25 min)U.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 43Near U.S. avg (45)U.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 64.2annualized per 100k · citywide89% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 1306.2annualized per 100k · citywide58% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 78°F9.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 49°F15.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 11.2 in66% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 32422% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Irvine with another city
About 308,160 people live in Irvine, CA. Households here report a median income near $129,647; our housing-derived cost index is about 291 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $1,115,400 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 324 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Commutes average near 26 minutes one-way, with walkability near 43/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 3.5% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 64.2 per 100k compare favorably with many peer metros, though local blocks still differ.
Irvine is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Irvine with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Irvine city, 1600000US0636770)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060590000000003 (Orange County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00093184 SANTA ANA JOHN WAYNE AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28