San Diego and Santa Ana receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
San Diego
Santa Ana
Opportunity
64 · Top 34%
vs55 · Bottom 48%
Growth
56 · Top 38%
vs44 · Bottom 39%
Climate
100 · Top 6%
vs100 · Top 6%
Physical resilience
9 · Bottom 4%
vs12 · Bottom 9%
Housing affordability
41 · Bottom 6%
vs43 · Bottom 9%
Access
55 · Bottom 4%
vs96 · Top 40%
Economic stability
63 · Top 45%
vs65 · Top 38%
Measured values
| Metric | San Diego | Santa Ana | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,389,526 | 312,534 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $108,077 | $93,999 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $57,083 | $30,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 4,261/sq mi | 11,416/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $906,700 | $713,000 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $2,313 | $2,082 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 47.3% | 44.6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 3.9% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -1.1% | -1.8% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 51.0% | 18.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 11.0% | 10.8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 6,010 | 312 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.0 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | -13.6% | 88.0% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 80°F | 79°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 46°F | 49°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 11.0" | 11.2" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 79 mi | 16 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 25.3 min | 26.7 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 36.2 | 34.7 | 2024 ACS 5-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.
Physical risk tradeoff
San Diego
Elevated or high exposure: wildfire, earthquake.
Santa Ana
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, inland flooding.
Full profiles: San Diego, CA · Santa Ana, CA · How this is calculated: methodology