Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. La Cañada Flintridge grades A− overall, 64th of 841 graded towns in California. Residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its schools rank ahead of 97% of California towns and the median household earns $242K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $2.5 million for a typical one and 25.7 times the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in La Cañada Flintridge, against 29% in California’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Only 54 of California’s 1,063 towns score higher on history. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where La Cañada Flintridge beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Paradise Canyon Elementary | K–6 | 715 |
| Palm Crest Elementary | K–6 | 642 |
| La Canada Elementary | K–6 | 633 |
10.1% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far La Cañada Flintridge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Space Flight Operations Facility is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 18,338 in 1960, 20,573 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 7 maps from 1894 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around La Cañada Flintridge. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw15 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw9 mi LandmarkHollywood Sign
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Big draw32 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a yearHollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Hollywood Sign: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Cañada Flintridge, 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 La Cañada Flintridge.
La Cañada Flintridge has schools in the top 5% of California, has less no health insurance than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 25.7 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $2.46M) costs more against local pay than in 98% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; La Crescenta-Montrose is next at $1.28M.
The median rent in La Cañada Flintridge is $2,873 a month. Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026. 87% of La Cañada Flintridge households own their home.
| La Cañada Flintridge | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,873 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 87% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #10 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; La Crescenta-Montrose (A−) is next.
Its public schools are run by the La Canada Unified school district. Two of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Canyon ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 715 | – |
| La Canada HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 1,989 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
27 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. La Cañada Flintridge’s trail density is 3.2 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Winery Canyon Open Space, at 154 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cherry Canyon Park | 5.5 mi | 136 |
| 2. Gould Canyon / Lukens Connection | 1.7 mi | 64 |
| 3. Gould Canyon Trail | 0.6 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 2.9% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 490 U.S. towns with household incomes like La Cañada Flintridge’s, it is healthier than 57%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
19% of adults have obesity in La Cañada Flintridge. La Cañada Flintridge beats the California average on 25 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 17% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in La Cañada Flintridge.
| La Cañada Flintridge | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.1% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | La Cañada Flintridge | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 2.6% | 7.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.9% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1980, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in La Cañada Flintridge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
29.5% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave La Cañada Flintridge for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Los Angeles (34%), Pasadena (10%) and Glendale (7%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
| La Cañada Flintridge | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 30% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $242,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 44.6°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.8°.
La Cañada Flintridge has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| La Cañada Flintridge | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 45°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 403 to 284 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 75% of towns.
| La Cañada Flintridge | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
47 within 15 miles of the center of La Cañada Flintridge
About 5 of every 100 La Cañada Flintridge residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where La Cañada Flintridge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in La Cañada Flintridge on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in La Cañada Flintridge.
City in California, United States
La Cañada Flintridge , commonly known as just La Cañada (Spanish for 'The Ravine'), is a city in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Crescenta Valley on the western edge of the San Gabriel Valley, it is the site of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as well as Descanso Gardens. Before the city's incorporation on December 8, 1976, it consisted of the two distinct communities of La Cañada and Flintridge. The population was 20,573 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with La Cañada Flintridge.
At #64 in CA, it grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; La Crescenta-Montrose (B+) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Cañada Flintridge | #64 | A− | D− | B− | A+ | A+ |
| Pasadena | #421 | C | D− | D | B | A− |
| La Crescenta-Montrose | #98 | B+ | D− | — | A− | A |
| Glendale | #316 | C+ | D− | C | A− | B+ |
La Crescenta-Montrose reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare La Cañada Flintridge with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. La Cañada Flintridge grades A− overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #64 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, B− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 75% 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−.
7 notable people were born here, including Tiffany Alvord and Phil Joanou.
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