Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 90,500, settled in 1869.
Compton grades D− overall, 742nd of 841 graded towns in California, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 98% of U.S. towns, including 1,122 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Compton’s violent crime rate is 12.5 per 1,000 residents, above both California’s towns (2.9) and U.S. towns (1.6). Compton is home to Compton College. Compton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Compton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Krist NovoselicEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Compton is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 2%), so the D− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 160 in 1870, 95,740 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 7 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Compton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw16 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw9 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw19 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Big draw11 mi MuseumUSS IowaSoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Iowa: PH1 Jeff Hilton, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Compton, 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 Compton.
Compton has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the California rate.
Violent crime runs at 12.5 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the California rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Lynwood (D) to Carson (D).
Compton’s property crime rate is 25 per 1,000 residents. Compton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Compton Unified school district. Two of its 41 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| KIPP Compton CommunityLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 783 | – |
| Manuel Dominguez HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,582 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Compton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
46% of adults feel lonely in Compton. Compton beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 33% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Compton.
| Compton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 19% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 36% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 16% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Compton | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.8% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.1% | 20.8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 36% | 17.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 47.4°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 82°.
Compton has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. The January low in Compton is 47°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Compton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 47°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Compton for work: only 6% work in town. 18% of Compton residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Compton has lost 1,596 jobs, to 27,013 in 2023.
| Compton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Compton home is worth about $638,000, up 2.6% in a year, 16% below the California typical home.
| Compton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,664 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 58% | 55% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Compton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Burrel McDonald Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
| 2. Gonzales Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Doctor Walter R Tucker Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
53 within 15 miles of the center of Compton
About 6 of every 100 Compton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
50 notable people were born in Compton.
City in California, United States
Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and in May 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporate. In the 2020 census, the city had a population of 95,740. It is known as the "Hub City" due to its geographic centrality in Los Angeles County, though it is actually near the southern end of the county. Neighborhoods in Compton include Sunny Cove, Leland, downtown Compton, and Richland Farms.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Compton.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compton | #742 | D− | D | D− | B− | C− |
| Willowbrook | #627 | D | D | — | B− | C− |
| Carson | #530 | C− | D | D | B− | B |
| West Rancho Dominguez | #576 | D | D | — | B− | C− |
| Lynwood | #771 | D− | D | D | C+ | C− |
| East Rancho Dominguez | #591 | D | D | — | B− | C− |
| Paramount | #669 | D | D | D | C+ | C |
| Long Beach | #564 | D | D− | D | B | B |
Willowbrook, West Rancho Dominguez and East Rancho Dominguez report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Compton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Compton grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #742 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. That is 6.7 years of the area's median household income ($95,958 across the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
50 notable people were born here, including Krist Novoselic and The Game.
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