Should I Move To
Long Beach, California comes in at about 462,293 residents. Cost of living comes out very expensive — 35% above the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,698/mo, and the median household income is about $78,995. Overall, 37/100 on our composite score, which works out to a F, putting it at #864 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 135 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's very expensive territory. With median rent at $1,698/mo and median household income at $78,995, housing takes about 26% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $709,700.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect mild weather — summers near 75°F, winters around 50°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 12 inches annually. A walker's paradise by US standards. Many people here genuinely skip car ownership. Reported crime is somewhat above average, though specific neighborhoods vary widely. AQI is in the moderate range at about 56.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Long Beach is a tougher sell for families. The profile-weighted score is 38/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is walkability (90/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (2/100).
Long Beach is a tougher sell for retirees. The profile-weighted score is 40/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is walkability (90/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (2/100).
Long Beach is a tougher sell for remote workers. The profile-weighted score is 32/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is walkability (90/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (2/100).
Long Beach is a tougher sell for young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 47/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is walkability (90/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (2/100).
Our overall score for Long Beach is 37/100 — a F, sitting at #864 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Long Beach sits at 135 — very expensive, 35% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,698 a month.
Long Beach runs mild on the weather. Summer's near 75°F, winter's near 50°F; 12 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 90/100. A walker's paradise by US standards. Many people here genuinely skip car ownership.
Roughly 462,293 people live here, with 34% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 36.
Drop Long Beach into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Long Beach with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
Take the 2-minute UrbRank quiz to get a personalized ranking of US cities based on your priorities — cost, climate, commute, jobs, and more.