BostoniaCA
A town of 16,765.
Is Bostonia a good place to live?
Bostonia is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, 399th of 841 graded towns in California, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 51% of the state's. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $488K for a typical one and 4.6 times the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income. Bostonia is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Only 25 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on the outdoors. 42% of households own their home in Bostonia, against 64% in California’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
What makes Bostonia stand out
Where Bostonia beats most towns.
98% of working residents leave Bostonia for work
Where Bostonia’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Bostonia grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Bostonia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Mexico–United States border wall and 66 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bostonia. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi LandmarkMexico–United States border wall
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
15 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
13 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
13 mi Park & preserveBalboa Park
17 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Diego4.0M visitors a yearPhoto credits
Mexico–United States border wall: Földhegy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Snapdragon Stadium: Terrible Tim, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Petco Park: Mds08011, CC BY 4.0 · San Diego Zoo: en:User:Cburnett, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Balboa Park: Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Moving to Bostonia: who provides what
Bostonia is unincorporated, so San Diego County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Bostonia.
Most of Bostonia’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Bostonia for work: only 2% work in town. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Bostonia. The top destinations are San Diego (38%), El Cajon (14%) and Santee (4%).
| Bostonia | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $79,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For schools, Bostonia earns a B−
Its public schools are run by the Santee school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepper Drive ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 661 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Bostonia faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bostonia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Bostonia, expect mild winters and hot summers
January nights average 42°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 86.7°.
Bostonia has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The January low in Bostonia is 42°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Bostonia | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 87°F | 89°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bostonia ranks healthier than 51% of the country’s towns
Bostonia beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 20% of Bostonia adults report frequent mental distress.
| Bostonia | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bostonia | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 13.8% | 10.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.2% | 7.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.4% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For cost of living, Bostonia earns a C−
Bostonia’s median rent is $2,087 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Bostonia
Colleges nearby
26 within 15 miles of the center of Bostonia
About 8 of every 100 Bostonia residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
About Bostonia
Place in California, United States
Bostonia is a neighborhood in San Diego County, California. Parts of it is within the northeastern portion of the city of El Cajon, while its other parts lie within an adjacent unincorporated area. The portion of Bostonia that lies within the unincorporated area is classified as a census-designated place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau. The population of the CDP was 16,882 at the 2020 census, up from 15,379 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 486 ft
Bostonia’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Bostonia.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bostonia | #399 | C | C− | — | B− | B− |
| El Cajon | #644 | D | D | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Winter Gardens | #382 | C | D | — | C+ | B |
| Santee | #142 | B | D− | B | B+ | A− |
Bostonia and Winter Gardens report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bostonia with a neighbor →
Questions about Bostonia
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bostonia, CA a good place to live?
Bostonia grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #399 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Bostonia, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $488,000, 36% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.