Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cerritos grades C+ overall, ranked 247th of 841 in California, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $135K and it is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $1.1 million, 11.3 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Cerritos’ median rent is $2,930 a month, where California’s towns sit at $1,895 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Only 36 of California’s 426 towns score lower on safety. Cerritos is home to PCI College.
Where Cerritos beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Cerritos | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.6% | 10.6% |
Where Cerritos’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 Cerritos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 166 in 1880, 49,578 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1839 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cerritos. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw4 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw23 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw16 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw15 mi MuseumUSS IowaDisneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · USS Iowa: PH1 Jeff Hilton, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cerritos, 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 Cerritos.
Cerritos draws workers from Los Angeles 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.
37,889 jobs are based in Cerritos, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Cerritos for work: only 8% work in town. The average trip to work in Cerritos is 32 minutes. Jobs based in Cerritos grew to 37,889 in 2023, 3,507 more than in 2013.
| Cerritos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $135,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 19% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.09M.
Its public schools are run by the ABC Unified school district. Three of its 24 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leal (Frank C.) ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 774 | A+ |
| Cerritos HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,996 | – |
| Carmenita MiddleTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 639 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 37.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the California rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 2,386 to 1,866 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Cerritos’ property crime rate is 37.8 per 1,000 residents. Cerritos reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less.
| Cerritos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 37.8 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 4.6% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Its A for health tops all 6 graded neighbors; Lakewood (A−) comes closest.
17% of adults have obesity in Cerritos. Only 1 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Cerritos. 13% of adults have diabetes in Cerritos.
| Cerritos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Cerritos | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.3% | 7.3% |
| More adults with high cholesterol | 41.6% | 35.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 89% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cerritos.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 11.3 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $1.09M) costs more against local pay than in 83% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Home values rose 30% in five years, to about $1.09M, against 13% across California.
36% of Cerritos renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent. The typical Cerritos home is worth about $1,086,000, up 3.6% in a year, 43% above the California typical home. 76% of Cerritos households own their home.
| Cerritos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 36% | 55% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 46.8°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 82.5°.
Cerritos has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Cerritos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 47°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5.0 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Don Knabe Community Regional Park, at 85 acres.
| Cerritos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cerritos Park East | 0.8 mi | 31 |
| 2. El Rancho Verde Park | 0.6 mi | 6 |
| 3. Gridley Park | 0.5 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
43 within 15 miles of the center of Cerritos
About 7 of every 100 Cerritos residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
2 colleges in town.
14 notable people were born in Cerritos.
City in California, United States
Cerritos (; Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 2020, the population was 49,578. It is part of the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, California Metropolitan Statistical Area designated by the Office of Management and Budget.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Cerritos.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerritos | #247 | C+ | D | D | A− | A |
| Artesia | #375 | C | D− | C− | A− | B |
| Lakewood | #361 | C | D− | C− | B | A− |
| Norwalk | #437 | C | D− | C− | B+ | B− |
| La Palma | #222 | B− | D− | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Bellflower | #609 | D | D− | D | B− | C+ |
| Santa Fe Springs | #596 | D | D− | D− | B+ | B− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cerritos grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #247 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
14 notable people were born here, including Morris Chestnut and Chad Allen.
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