Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The typical home is worth about $882K, 8.3 years of the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income. Overall it grades C+, 277th of 841 graded towns in California. Residents are healthier than 81% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns. In the comparison, La Mesa comes above both the California town median (40°F) and the median of U.S. towns (22°F). Only 44 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk. The biggest place to walk is Harry Griffen Regional Park, 41 acres with 1 miles of trail.
Where La Mesa beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far La Mesa is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,004 in 1920, 61,121 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 7 maps from 1903 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around La Mesa. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi LandmarkMexico–United States border wall
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
9 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
8 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
8 mi Park & preserveBalboa Park
12 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Diego4.0M visitors a yearMexico–United States border wall: Földhegy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 · Balboa Park: Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Mesa, 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 Mesa.
La Mesa carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with San Diego and other neighbors.
26% of La Mesa adults have obesity. La Mesa beats the California average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 20% of La Mesa adults get no exercise outside work.
| La Mesa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 24% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 12% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | La Mesa | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 7.8% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the La Mesa-Spring Valley school district. Two of its 19 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Mesa Arts AcademyLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 1,059 | B+ |
| Helix HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,554 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The violent crime rate in La Mesa is 4 per 1,000 residents. Within California, it does better than 48% of towns.
| La Mesa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 44.2°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 83.1°.
La Mesa has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. La Mesa’s January low is 44°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| La Mesa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
La Mesa has about as many jobs (23,796) as working residents, but only 2,139 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave La Mesa for work: only 8% work in town. 18% of workers work from home in La Mesa. The top destinations are San Diego (53%), El Cajon (5%) and Chula Vista (3%).
| La Mesa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical La Mesa home is worth about $882,000, up 2.2% in a year, 16% above the California typical home.
| La Mesa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,049 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 61% | 55% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of California towns, with expected losses of about $216 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in La Mesa.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| La Mesa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harry Griffen Regional Park | 1 mi | 41 |
| 2. Briercrest Park | 0.5 mi | 5 |
| 3. MacArthur Park | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| La Mesa | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.4 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.6, men 37.2.
| La Mesa | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.3% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.6% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.4% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.9% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.7% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.9% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
29 within 15 miles of the center of La Mesa
About 8 of every 100 La Mesa residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
21 notable people were born in La Mesa.
City in California, United States
La Mesa (lit. 'The Table') is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, located nine miles (14 kilometers) east of downtown San Diego in Southern California. The population was 61,121 at the 2020 census, up from 57,065 at the 2010 census. Its civic motto is "the Jewel of the Hills."
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with La Mesa.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Mesa | #277 | C+ | D− | C | B | A− |
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | #157 | B | D | — | B− | A |
| San Diego | #249 | C+ | D− | C− | B+ | A |
| El Cajon | #644 | D | D | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Lemon Grove | #432 | C | D | C | B− | B |
| Spring Valley | #348 | C | D− | — | B− | B+ |
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix and Spring Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare La Mesa with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
La Mesa grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #277 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health, C for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 48% 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−.
21 notable people were born here, including Dave Mustaine and Bill Walton.
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