Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Garden Grove is a city of 170,455, and it grades C overall, 358th of 841 graded towns in California. Its public schools beat 79% of California towns on state tests and graduation and it is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. The trade-offs: the typical home is worth about $1.0 million, 10.4 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Garden Grove’s January low is 47°F, above both California’s towns (40°F) and U.S. towns (22°F). Garden Grove's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns. Garden Grove is home to Haven University.
Where Garden Grove beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Patton Elementary | K–6 | 904 |
| Ocia A. Peters Elementary | K–6 | 893 |
| John Murdy Elementary | K–6 | 689 |
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Haven University | 83 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Garden Grove is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,762 in 1950, 171,949 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Garden Grove. Close and well known come first.
Big draw3 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw5 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw3 mi Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
Big draw18 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 · Disney California Adventure: CrispyCream27, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Iowa: PH1 Jeff Hilton, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Garden Grove, 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 Garden Grove.
Garden Grove has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California and trails even towns with similar incomes on health.
Since 1979, 60 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Garden Grove.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Garden Grove Unified school district. Three of its 64 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 904 | – |
| Garden Grove HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,148 | A− |
| Pacifica HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,634 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Garden Grove for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, Garden Grove has added 5,437 jobs, to 48,665 in 2023. Garden Grove’s average trip to work is 29 minutes.
| Garden Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 10.4 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $1M) costs more against local pay than in 79% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Home values rose 34% in five years, to about $1M, against 13% across California.
The median rent in Garden Grove is $2,012 a month. Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026. 53% of Garden Grove households own their home.
| Garden Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,012 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 60% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 46.9°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 81.8°.
Garden Grove has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within California, it does better than 67% of towns.
| Garden Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.7 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2.7 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Garden Grove Park, at 32 acres.
| Garden Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Haster Basin Recreation Area | 1 mi | 21 |
| 2. Village Green Park | 0.3 mi | 7 |
| 3. Garden Grove Park | 0.2 mi | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 9,691 U.S. towns with household incomes like Garden Grove’s, it is less healthy than 67%, so it trails even them.
23% of adults have obesity in Garden Grove.
| Garden Grove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 22% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Garden Grove | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.1% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with obesity | 23.1% | 27.8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.7% | 17.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
42 within 15 miles of the center of Garden Grove
About 9 of every 100 Garden Grove residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Garden Grove’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
25 notable people were born in Garden Grove.
City in California, U.S.
Garden Grove is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 171,949 at the 2020 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city in an east–west direction. The western portion of the city is known as West Garden Grove.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Garden Grove.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Grove | #358 | C | D− | C+ | A− | B− |
| Stanton | #512 | C− | D | C− | B+ | C+ |
| Santa Ana | #599 | D | D− | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Westminster | #519 | C− | D− | C− | A− | C+ |
| Anaheim | #560 | D | D− | D | B | B− |
| Orange | #235 | B− | D− | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Seal Beach | #230 | B− | D | D | A | A− |
| Fountain Valley | #226 | B− | D− | C+ | A− | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Garden Grove grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #358 of 841 in California. It grades B− 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 67% 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−.
25 notable people were born here, including Dexter Holland and Justin Chon.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
