Acton at dawn 2014, 2014
Acton’s story
139 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,471 in 1990, 7,431 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 6 maps from 1900 on.
- 1887Acton is settled
ActonCA
A town of 7,880, settled in 1887.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Chevy111 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
7,880
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$846K
+0% in a year
Household income
$113K
median
Median age
45.9
years
Jobs based here
1,301
A commuter town
TownGrade
D
#618 of 841 in CA
Is Acton a good place to live?
Acton grades D overall, 618th of 841 graded towns in California. One bright spot: residents are healthier than 69% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Acton’s typical journey to work is 47 minutes, above both California’s towns (28 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). On hazard risk, just 82 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. The typical home is worth about $846K, 8.8 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Acton for work
Where Acton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,301jobs based in Acton
5%of working residents work in town
29 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Acton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Acton is from typical.
Hazard riskavalanches tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingD−Open →SchoolsCOpen →HealthPalmdale Regional Medical Center 10.5 miles awayB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.6 of 20; 1.3% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & income1,301 jobs based hereBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market$846K typical home, up 0% in a year; 62 days on market–Open →Who lives here–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Acton: who provides what
Acton is unincorporated, so Los Angeles County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAntelope Valley East Kern Water AgencyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers68% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles County provides services here
SchoolsAntelope Valley Union Joint High School DistrictActon-Agua Dulce Unified School District2 districts serve Acton; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLos Angeles Registrar-Recorder County ClerkLos Angeles County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes93510, 91390, 9355093510 94% · 91390 3% · 93550 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Acton.
Acton owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has commutes longer than most of California.
OutdoorsB
In Acton, 1.2% of the land is conserved
The biggest park or preserve is Angeles National Forest, at 33 acres. Across 3 parks and preserves: 63 miles of trail. For Acton, the trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile.
#221for trails in CA
| Acton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
1.2%
conserved · 301 of 25,041 acres
63 mi
of trails · 1.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Angeles National Forest | — | 33 |
| 2. San Gabriel Mountains National Monument | — | 33 |
| 3. Acton Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsC
Acton’s schools rank behind 74% of California districts
Two of its 5 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The largest public high school is iLEAD Hybrid, with 3,817 students. The iLEAD Hybrid District runs its public schools.
26%of CA districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowlark ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 352 | – |
| Vasquez HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 394 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Top of a very high hazard risk in Acton: avalanches
Acton’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 96 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 37% come from avalanches and 24% from inland flooding. The national flood insurance program has paid one claim in the town since 1993.
96risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland floodingEarthquakes
1
paid flood claims since 1993
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Most of Acton’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.4 jobs for each of them
The average commute for its 3,450 working residents takes 47.2 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
In Acton, the middle household income is $113,000. Commuting out is the norm locally: 5% of working residents work locally. For workers in the town, the share who work remotely from home is 20%. The top destinations are Los Angeles (29%), Santa Clarita (9%) and Burbank (7%).
5%work in town
| Acton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $113,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Acton5%
Los Angeles29%
Santa Clarita9%
Burbank7%
Palmdale5%
29 mi
median commute distance
1,301
jobs based in Acton
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB+
Acton earns a B+ for health
Against the 6,747 U.S. towns with household incomes like Acton’s, it is less healthy than 58%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
The share of adults 18 to 64 in Acton who have no health insurance: 7%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Acton is ahead of California on 11 and behind on 4. 38% of adults in Acton feel lonely; 74% had a checkup this year.
69%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Acton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
32 measures vs. California
11 better17 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Acton | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.9% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.8% | 6.4% |
Palmdale Regional Medical Center
10.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
59th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Acton
July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 37° and snow is almost unheard of.
93°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter37–58°
Spring45–71°
Summer61–91°
Fall50–77°
Nov 19
typical first frost
Mar 10
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
93°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Young adults are less common in Acton than in California
Among adults 25 and older, 30% have a four-year degree or more, against 37% across California. Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (24% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (16% statewide). For Acton, the median age is 45.9 years.
45.9median age · CA 37.9
| Acton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45.9 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
ActonCaliforniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma8%
High school32%
Some college22%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s21%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Acton | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.8% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.3% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.4% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.3% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.1% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.2% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.7% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
HousingCost of living grade D−
A larger share of households are owner-occupiers in Acton than in most of California or the rest of the country
On the market in Acton: a median 62 days to sell. Zillow values the typical Acton home at about $846,000, about the same as a year ago, 11% above the California typical home. Bidding over the asking price: two in five homes sold in the town.
$846KZillow home value
Typical home value
Acton$846K
California$762K
Market temperature
62
days on market
100.2%
sale-to-list price
+0%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 260 attractions →Hollywood Walk of Fame and 178 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Acton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw34 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw26 mi LandmarkHollywood Sign
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaCrypto.com ArenaSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Hollywood Sign: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Crypto.com Arena: Troutfarm27, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Acton
18pages on Acton
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Acton
About 3 of every 100 Acton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Famous people from Acton
4 notable people were born in Acton.
About Acton
Census-designated place in California, United States
Acton () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the 2020 census, Acton had a population of 7,431. Acton is a small residential community located between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains, near the Antelope Valley. It is off the Antelope Valley Freeway (California State Route 14) south of Palmdale. Acton is roughly 20 miles (32 km) northeast of the San Fernando Valley, and 47 miles (76 km) north of downtown Los Angeles by highway. The town has a rural western theme which can be seen in its homes, commercial buildings and historical buildings, some of which date back to the late 18…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 39 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,710 ft
- ZIP code
- 93510
- Area code
- 661
Acton’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Acton.
Agua DulcePalmdaleActon
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acton | #618 | D | D− | — | C | B+ |
| Agua Dulce | #310 | C+ | D | — | A− | B |
| Palmdale | #796 | D− | D | C− | C | C+ |
Acton and Agua Dulce report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Acton with a neighbor →
Questions about Acton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Acton, CA a good place to live?
Acton grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #618 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Acton, CA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
What is Acton, CA known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Eileen April Boylan and Bill Sedgwick.