Los Angeles, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Los Angeles.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Los Angeles 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
- 3,857,897City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $80,366Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 215ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)115% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $879,500City limits (ACS)190% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,879City limits (ACS)39% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 5.3%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 31 min24% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 6953% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 732.2annualized per 100k · citywide21% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2383.3annualized per 100k · citywide23% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 81°F6.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 49°F15.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 14.3 in57% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 33124% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Los Angeles with another city
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 331 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Average one-way commute time is about 31 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 69/100. Labor-market readings near 5.3% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. Violent-offense rates near 732.2 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Los Angeles (pop. 3,857,897) sits in California. With median income around $80,366 and a cost index of 215, the market reads well above the national housing-cost baseline. Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $879,500 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Newcomers often start housing searches in Hollywood and Downtown, then compare against Santa Monica once a commute target is clear. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Los Angeles with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Neighborhoods often researched
- Hollywood
- Downtown
- Santa Monica
- Silver Lake
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 (Los Angeles city, 1600000US0644000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060370000000003 (Los Angeles County, June 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 (USW00093134 LOS ANGELES DWTN USC CAMPUS)
Last updated 2026-07-28