Orange County, California
Among the top 1% of US counties for weather.
AffordabilityAffordability: grade F, better than 2% of US counties
WeatherWeather: grade A+, better than 99% of US counties
Safety & WellbeingSafety & Wellbeing: grade D, better than 16% of US counties
Getting AroundGetting Around: grade A, better than 94% of US counties
Lifestyle & ConnectivityLifestyle & Connectivity: grade B, better than 62% of US counties
- top 1% for comfortable days
- top 1% for airport distance
- bottom 1% for monthly rent
Orange County is a county in California with about 3,175,000 residents. It grades A+ for weather and F for affordability. Standout strengths include comfortable days, airport distance, and walkability. It rates lower on natural disaster risk and monthly rent.
Official websiteocgov.com (opens in new tab)
Climate
Hot, dry summers · Cool winters · Dry
comfortable
warm
hot
warm
comfortable
90%63%clearovercast
Precipitation 2.9 in0.1 in
humid 16%dry
Livability factors
Affordability
Median Household Income$109k98th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Cost of Living$83kbetter than 1% of US counties
Home Value$863k100th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Monthly Rent$2kbetter than 1% of US counties
Monthly Owner Costs$3kbetter than 1% of US counties
Property Tax Rate0.67%better than 67% of US counties
Income Tax13.30%better than 1% of US counties
Sales Tax8.85%better than 17% of US counties
Estimated total tax burden21.54%better than 1% of US counties
Unemployment5.4%better than 37% of US counties
Weather
Winter Temp (Jan)56°F96th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Summer Temp (Jul)76°F47th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Annual Precipitation13.6 in4th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Annual Snowfall1.2 inbetter than 76% of US counties
Sunny Days276 daysbetter than 89% of US counties
Summer Humidity55°Fbetter than 85% of US counties
Comfortable Days205 daysbetter than 99% of US counties
Safety & Wellbeing
Natural Disaster Risk99.8better than 1% of US counties
Air Quality52 AQIbetter than 10% of US counties
School Quality66.3better than 70% of US counties
Violent Crime823/100kbetter than 47% of US counties
Property Crime2003/100kbetter than 14% of US counties
Community
Population3,175,227100th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Median Age38.725th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Racial Diversity0.6798th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Male/Female Ratio0.9939th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Political LeaningEven13th percentile — neutral, not ranked
White (%)38.5%10th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Black (%)1.5%45th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Hispanic (%)33.9%91st percentile — neutral, not ranked
Asian (%)21.5%100th percentile — neutral, not ranked
Other / Multiracial (%)4.6%73rd percentile — neutral, not ranked
Getting Around
Commute Time27 minbetter than 29% of US counties
Walkability13.3/20better than 99% of US counties
Airport Distance6 mibetter than 99% of US counties
Lifestyle & Connectivity
Broadband Access93.6%better than 98% of US counties
Amenities Nearby2.74better than 53% of US counties
Park & Nature AccessLimitedbetter than 22% of US counties
Frequently asked questions
- Is Orange County an affordable place to live?
- Orange County is relatively expensive. Its cost-of-living index is $83k, better than 0% of comparable areas.
- What is the median home value in Orange County?
- The median home value in Orange County is $863k, per the U.S. Census ACS (5-Year).
- What is the median household income in Orange County?
- Median household income in Orange County is $109k, per the U.S. Census ACS (5-Year).
- How much is rent in Orange County?
- Median gross rent in Orange County is $2k a month, per the U.S. Census ACS (5-Year).
- Is Orange County safe?
- Orange County is about average for safety comparable areas, with a violent crime rate of 823/100k (better than 47%). Property crime is 2003/100k.
- What is the weather like in Orange County?
- Orange County averages 76°F in July and 56°F in January, with 13.6 in of annual precipitation and about 276 sunny days a year.
- How are the schools in Orange County?
- Public-school quality in Orange County is above average, scoring better than 70% of comparable areas on a composite of graduation rates, spending, and student-teacher ratio.
- How long is the commute in Orange County?
- The average one-way commute in Orange County is 27 min.
Other counties in California
Explore California
Data sources
- EPA Air Quality (AQI)
- EPA Smart Location Database
- EPI Family Budget Calculator
- FAA airport enplanements
- FBI Uniform Crime Reports
- FEMA National Risk Index
- MIT Election Data Lab (2020)
- NCES School Finance Survey
- NOAA Climate Normals (1991–2020)
- NOAA nClimGrid
- OpenStreetMap
- Tax Foundation + state revenue depts
- U.S. Census ACS (5-Year)
- USGS Protected Areas (PAD-US)