Lake Forest vs Santa Ana
Lake Forest, California versus Santa Ana, California: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Lake Forest and Santa Ana score about the same overall (50 vs 50 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Lake Forest | Santa Ana |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $128k | $84k |
| Cost of Living | $83k | $83k |
| Home Value | $837k | $624k |
| Monthly Rent | $2k | $2k |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $3k | $2k |
| Property Tax Rate | 0.64% | 0.61% |
| Income Tax | 13.30% | 13.30% |
| Sales Tax | 8.85% | 8.85% |
| Estimated total tax burden | 20.40% | 20.72% |
| Unemployment | 5.0% | 5.5% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 57°F | 58°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 75°F | 73°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 15.3 in | 12.5 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sunny Days | 277 days | 277 days |
| Summer Humidity | 55°F | 55°F |
| Comfortable Days | 254 days | 309 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 72.1 | 64.5 |
| Air Quality | 48 AQI | 41 AQI |
| School Quality | 49.8 | 79.8 |
| Violent Crime | 427/100k | 924/100k |
| Property Crime | 1062/100k | 1713/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 85,583 | 311,379 |
| Median Age | 40.0 | 33.4 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.62 | 0.68 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 0.98 | 1.06 |
| Political Leaning | Even | Even |
| White (%) | 48.9% | 9.1% |
| Black (%) | 2.1% | 0.9% |
| Hispanic (%) | 23.5% | 77.0% |
| Asian (%) | 19.2% | 11.7% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 6.3% | 1.3% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Commute Time | 25 min | 25 min |
| Walkability | 12.7/20 | 13.8/20 |
| Airport Distance | 11 mi | 4 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 96.3% | 88.3% |
| Amenities Nearby | 62.63 | 30.89 |
| Park & Nature Access | Moderate | Moderate |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Lake Forest or Santa Ana more affordable?
- Santa Ana has the lower cost of living: its index is $83k, compared with Lake Forest's $83k and Santa Ana's $83k. Median rent is $2k in Lake Forest versus $2k in Santa Ana.
- Is Lake Forest or Santa Ana safer?
- Lake Forest has the lower violent crime rate. Lake Forest reports 427/100k and Santa Ana reports 924/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
- Are homes cheaper in Lake Forest or Santa Ana?
- The median home value is $837k in Lake Forest and $624k in Santa Ana, so homes are more affordable in Santa Ana.