Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Anaheim earns a D, 560th among California's 841 graded towns, mostly because of safety. It reports more crime per resident than 88% of U.S. towns, including 1,878 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. 15% of the land in Anaheim is conserved, against 4.2% in California’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Anaheim has 13 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Carnegie Library and Ferdinand Backs House. Anaheim's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns.
Where Anaheim beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| West Coast University-Orange County | 2,873 |
| Southern California Institute of Technology | 536 |
| The Chicago School at Anaheim | 483 |
Carnegie Library
Census counts: 881 in 1870, 346,824 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1879 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Anaheim is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 90% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Anaheim. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big drawin town Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
Big drawin town Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
in town Stadium & arenaHonda Center
Big draw38 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a yearDisneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Disney California Adventure: CrispyCream27, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Angel Stadium of Anaheim: Staff Sgt. Chad McMeen, Public domain · SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Honda Center: Arnold C (Buchanan-Hermit), Attribution · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Anaheim, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Anaheim.
Anaheim has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports more crime than Fullerton and its other graded neighbors and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
Each of the 7 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Fullerton (C−) to Yorba Linda (B+). Reported crimes fell from 10,686 to 7,880 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Anaheim’s violent crime rate is 5.5 per 1,000 residents, above both California’s towns (2.9) and U.S. towns (1.6). The property crime rate in Anaheim is 17.4 per 1,000 residents. Anaheim reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less.
| Anaheim | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Three of its 93 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,159 | C− |
| Anaheim HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,667 | B− |
| El Rancho CharterTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,144 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
55 miles of trail in 61 parks and preserves. Anaheim’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Chino Hills State Park, 647 acres with 4.3 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Yorba Regional Park | 6.8 mi | 144 |
| 2. Chino Hills State Park | 4.3 mi | 647 |
| 3. Oak Canyon Nature Center | 3.5 mi | 60 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 84% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Anaheim.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 9.8 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $942K) costs more against local pay than in 77% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
The typical Anaheim home is worth about $942,000, up 3.1% in a year, 24% above the California typical home. 46% of Anaheim households own their home.
| Anaheim | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,175 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 61% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 45.8°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 87.8°.
Anaheim has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Anaheim | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 46°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 88°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Anaheim for work: only 17% work in town. Since 2013, Anaheim has added 22,435 jobs, to 184,217 in 2023. The top destinations are Irvine (7%), Santa Ana (7%) and Los Angeles (6%).
| Anaheim | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the California average. 13% of residents are 65 or older in Anaheim. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Anaheim | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 36.2 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
50.9% women, 49.1% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.2, men 35.3.
| Anaheim | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.1% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.4% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.1% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.4% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 22.1% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.8% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.5% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.2% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 9,260 U.S. towns with household incomes like Anaheim’s, it is less healthy than 69%, so it trails even them.
Anaheim beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Anaheim | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Anaheim | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 17.5% | 20.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 14.7% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
30 within 15 miles of the center of Anaheim
About 9 of every 100 Anaheim residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
7 colleges in town.
13 places in Anaheim on the National Register of Historic Places.
43 notable people were born in Anaheim.
City in California, United States
Anaheim ( AN-ə-hyme) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most populous city in California, and the 57th-most populous city in the United States. The second largest city in Orange County in terms of land area, Anaheim is known for being the home of the Disneyland Resort, the Anaheim Convention Center, and two professional sports teams: the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It also served as the home of the Los Angeles Rams of the Nat…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Anaheim.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Stanton (C−) is closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim | #560 | D | D− | D | B | B− |
| Orange | #235 | B− | D− | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Buena Park | #423 | C | D− | C− | B | B |
| Yorba Linda | #55 | A− | D− | B+ | A− | A |
| Placentia | #209 | B− | D− | C | A− | A− |
| Stanton | #512 | C− | D | C− | B+ | C+ |
| Fullerton | #317 | C+ | D− | C− | A− | B+ |
| Garden Grove | #358 | C | D− | C+ | A− | B− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Anaheim grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #560 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health, D for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
43 notable people were born here, including Ashley Benson and Austin Butler.
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