Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 112,260, settled in 1886.
For a city of 112,260, Carlsbad does well: it grades B+, 94th of 841 graded towns in California. Residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its schools outperform 91% of the state's. The trade-off: the typical home is worth about $1.6 million, 14.7 years of the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income. Carlsbad’s median rent is $2,808 a month, where California’s towns sit at $1,895 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Carlsbad is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. Carlsbad has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Rancho De Los Kiotes and Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot.
Where Carlsbad beats most towns.
Where Carlsbad’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Carlsbad is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,253 in 1960, 114,746 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carlsbad. Close and well known come first.
in town Theme parkLegoland California
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
30 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
28 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
25 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Diego4.0M visitors a year
16 mi BeachBlack's BeachLegoland California: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdigger/, CC BY 2.0 · 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 · SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Black's Beach: Levi Clancy, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carlsbad, 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 Carlsbad.
Carlsbad draws workers from Oceanside and beyond and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 14.7 years of the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income, the typical home (about $1.56M) costs more against local pay than in 92% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The typical value, about $1.56M, is 20% below its November 2025 peak.
Typical home values fell 19% in the year to September 2026.
| Carlsbad | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 57% | 55% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.56M.
Its public schools are run by the Carlsbad Unified school district. Two of its 32 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aviara Oaks MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 991 | – |
| Carlsbad HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,336 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
135 miles of trail in 32 parks and preserves. Carlsbad’s trail density is 3.5 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve, 552 acres with 19.4 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve | 19.4 mi | 552 |
| 2. Lake Calavera Preserve | 8.4 mi | 254 |
| 3. Hosp Grove Park | 3.6 mi | 76 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 4.5% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide.
23% of adults have obesity in Carlsbad. Carlsbad beats the California average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 16% of adults get no exercise outside work in Carlsbad.
| Carlsbad | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Carlsbad | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.5% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
74,650 jobs are based in Carlsbad, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 31.9% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
About one in 5 of Carlsbad’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Carlsbad is $143,000. Since 2013, Carlsbad has added 14,129 jobs, to 74,650 in 2023.
| Carlsbad | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 32% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $143,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 46.5°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 76.9°.
Carlsbad has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Carlsbad | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 47°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 2,075 to 1,462 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 72% of towns.
| Carlsbad | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.8 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Carlsbad.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6 within 15 miles of the center of Carlsbad
About 5 of every 100 Carlsbad residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
29.7% of the town is conserved land, across 32 parks and preserves.
2 places in Carlsbad on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Carlsbad.
City in California, United States
Carlsbad is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is 35 miles (56 km) north of downtown San Diego and 87 miles (140 km) south of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. Carlsbad is a popular tourist destination and home to many businesses in the golf industry.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Carlsbad.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad | #94 | B+ | D− | C+ | A | A+ |
| Encinitas | #40 | A− | D− | B | A | A+ |
| Oceanside | #404 | C | D− | C− | B | A− |
| Lake San Marcos | #184 | B− | D− | — | A− | A− |
| San Marcos | #100 | B+ | D− | B | A− | A− |
| Vista | #331 | C | D− | B− | B | B+ |
Lake San Marcos reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Carlsbad with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Carlsbad grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #94 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, C+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 72% of towns.
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−.
17 notable people were born here, including Bridget Regan and Alex Warren.
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