Should I Move To
San Bernardino, California comes in at about 221,041 residents. Cost of living comes out expensive — 16% above the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,319/mo, and the median household income is about $61,323. Overall, 25/100 on our composite score, which works out to a F, putting it at #982 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 116 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's expensive territory. With median rent at $1,319/mo and median household income at $61,323, housing takes about 26% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $347,100.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect hot-summer weather — summers near 103°F, winters around 37°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 4 inches annually. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere. Crime statistics are on the rougher end of the US distribution; the citywide aggregate hides safer pockets but the headline number isn't great. Air quality is moderate (AQI 55).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
San Bernardino is a tougher sell for families. It earns 22/100 (grade F) on the families profile. Strongest on walkability (65/100); weakest on education (3/100).
San Bernardino is a tougher sell for retirees. It earns 28/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on walkability (65/100); weakest on education (3/100).
San Bernardino is a tougher sell for remote workers. It earns 28/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on walkability (65/100); weakest on education (3/100).
San Bernardino is a tougher sell for young professionals. It earns 31/100 (grade F) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on walkability (65/100); weakest on education (3/100).
San Bernardino, California pulls a 25/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #982 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
San Bernardino's cost-of-living index is 116 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the expensive band — 16% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,319/mo.
Hot-summer — summer averages around 103°F, winter averages around 37°F, with about 4 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 65/100. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere.
San Bernardino has about 221,041 residents, 13% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 31.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put San Bernardino head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how San Bernardino stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
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 San Bernardino with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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