Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bell grades D overall, ranked 690th of 841 in California, mostly because of health and safety. Residents are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its police reported 147 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 80% of U.S. towns. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. Bell's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 100% of U.S. towns. Homes are expensive, about $690K for a typical one and 7.2 times the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income.
Where Bell beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Bell is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 7%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 7,884 in 1930, 33,559 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bell. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw13 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw7 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Big draw19 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaCrypto.com ArenaSoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Crypto.com Arena: Troutfarm27, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bell, 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 Bell.
Bell fares better on crime within California than nationally, has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Los Angeles and other neighbors.
Among adults in Bell, 19% report frequent mental distress, above both the California town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (17%). The share of adults in Bell who say their health is fair or poor: 37%. The town beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 23.
| Bell | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 24% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bell | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.8% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 18.1% | 20.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 25.9% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Los Angeles Unified school district. Below: Two of its 10 schools, each with why it was picked. Public school enrollment in Bell: 3,327 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellen Ochoa Learning CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 1,052 | – |
| Bell Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,088 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
At 35.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 67% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 756 to 436 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The rate of reported violence for Bell comes to 4.7 per 1,000 residents, above both California’s towns (2.9) and U.S. towns (1.6). The town’s property offense rate comes in at 9.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Bell | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.2 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected losses in Bell break down as 93% from earthquakes and 6% from inland flooding. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage here than in four fifths of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Bell after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2025.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 47.2°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 85°.
In Bell, the January low is 47°F. Snow is a rarity.
| Bell | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 47°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bell has about as many jobs (10,772) as working residents, but only 503 people both live and work here.
Among workers in Bell, 4.1% do their job from home. Employers in Bell shed 948 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 10,772. Its mean commuting time stands at 30 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 9 miles away.
| Bell | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 4.1% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For renter households in Bell, the share who spend 30% or more of their income on rent is 64%. The typical Bell home is worth about $690,000, up 2.7% in a year, 9% below the California typical home. In Bell, the median rent is $1,575 a month.
| Bell | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 27% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 64% | 55% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,575 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Memorial Park | — | 3 |
| 2. Ernest Debs Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Treder Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
71 within 15 miles of the center of Bell
About 7 of every 100 Bell residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
13 notable people were born in Bell.
City in California, United States
Bell is an incorporated city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located near the center of the former San Antonio Township (abolished after 1960), its population was 33,559 at the 2020 census, down from 35,477 at the 2010 census. Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is a suburb of the city of Los Angeles. At 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), Bell is the thirteenth-smallest city in the United States with a population of at least 25,000. In 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Bell's land area at 1245 out of 1257 cities (defined as incorporated areas) and two unincorporated areas that had a population of at least 25,000 in year 2000. Ten cities in the list of …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Bell.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell | #690 | D | D | C− | B− | C− |
| Cudahy | #737 | D− | D | C− | B− | D |
| Commerce | #679 | D | D | D− | C | C |
| Bell Gardens | #726 | D− | D | C | C | D |
| Huntington Park | #738 | D− | D | D | B− | C− |
| Vernon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Maywood | #678 | D | D | C− | B− | C− |
Vernon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bell with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bell grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #690 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
13 notable people were born here, including Larry Knechtel and Valentina.
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