Greenfield vs Lemon Grove

Which is the better fit for you?

Greenfield, CA
40
Area Score
Bottom 3% nationally
Lemon Grove, CA
42
Area Score
Bottom 5% nationally

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Lemon Grove receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Greenfield to Lemon Grove

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Everyday prices
2% lower
Regional price level 110.7 against 113.2 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$222 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $2,462 in Lemon Grove against $2,684 in Greenfield.
The median home
33% more
$705,400 in Lemon Grove against $531,400 in Greenfield.
The weather you would swap
Winters 4°F milder
Normal January lows are 46°F in Lemon Grove against 42°F in Greenfield; July highs are 80°F against 71°F (summers 9°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

31 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Greenfield
Lemon Grove
Opportunity: Lemon Grove is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
30 · Bottom 6%
vs
36 · Bottom 12%
Growth: Greenfield is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
65 · Top 22%
vs
60 · Top 29%
Climate: Lemon Grove is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
89 · Top 8%
vs
100 · Top 4%
Physical resilience: Greenfield is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
12 · Bottom 8%
vs
9 · Bottom 3%
Housing affordability: Greenfield is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
52 · Bottom 23%
vs
31 · Bottom 4%
Schools: Lemon Grove is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
2 · Bottom 1%
vs
23 · Bottom 16%
Access: Lemon Grove is the more favorable of the two.
Access
49 · Bottom 3%
vs
55 · Bottom 5%
Economic stability: Lemon Grove is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
50 · Bottom 36%
vs
61 · Top 45%

Measured values

MetricGreenfieldLemon GroveSource period
Population20,23227,6862024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$84,740 ±$6,965$88,009 ±$6,7402024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$21,654$36,672 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density6,805/sq mi7,137/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$531,400$705,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,724 ±$134$1,893 ±$1122024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,684$2,462 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index113.2110.7 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate54.5%52.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate5.7%5.3% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.8% — more favorable−2.0%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher8.4%20.2% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate11.4% ±4%9.1% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)6110012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents3.03.6 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+144.0%+354.5%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high71°F80°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low42°F46°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation12.6"11.0"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport81 mi80 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute26.3 min — more favorable29.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age28.837.12024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools672024-25 school year
Students per teacher23.122.6 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency17.4%32.9% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency31.4%43.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility81.3%74.9%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Greenfield

Elevated or high exposure: drought, earthquake, wildfire.

Lemon Grove

Elevated or high exposure: wildfire, earthquake.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Greenfield
—
Greenfield: Your Score
40
Area Score
Lemon Grove
—
Lemon Grove: Your Score
42
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Greenfield, CA · Lemon Grove, CA · How this is calculated: methodology