Should I Move To
Roughly 311,379 people live in Santa Ana, California. Living here costs very expensive relative to the rest of the country, 36% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,885/mo; the typical household pulls in $84,210. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 36/100 — a F, putting it at #890 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.
By the composite index, Santa Ana sits at 136 — very expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,885/mo against $84,210 median household income), housing eats roughly 27% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $624,000.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is hot-summer: roughly 103°F in summer, 37°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 4 inches. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. On the safer side of the national distribution, though not by a huge margin. AQI is in the moderate range at about 56.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Santa Ana isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 30/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is safety (70/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (2/100).
For retirees, Santa Ana isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 32/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is safety (70/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (2/100).
For remote workers, Santa Ana isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 26/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is safety (70/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (2/100).
For young professionals, Santa Ana isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 44/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is safety (70/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (2/100).
Our overall score for Santa Ana is 36/100 — a F, sitting at #890 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Santa Ana sits at 136 — very expensive, 36% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,885 a month.
Santa Ana runs hot-summer on the weather. Summer's near 103°F, winter's near 37°F; 4 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 69/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 311,379 people live here, with 18% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 33.
Drop Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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