Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The typical home is worth about $880K, 9.2 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Overall it grades B−, 219th of 841 graded towns in California. The median household earns $109K and residents are healthier than 81% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. La Mirada’s January low is 47°F, where California’s towns sit at 40°F and U.S. towns at 22°F. La Mirada is home to Biola University. La Mirada's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 93% of U.S. towns.
Where La Mirada beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far La Mirada is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 22,444 in 1960, 48,008 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around La Mirada. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw4 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw24 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumDisneyland: 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 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Mirada, 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 Mirada.
La Mirada reports less crime than Buena Park or any other graded neighbor, has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Los Angeles and other neighbors.
Since 1979, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in La Mirada.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified school district. Two of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reginald M. Benton MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 718 | – |
| La Mirada HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,726 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
23% of adults have obesity in La Mirada. La Mirada beats the California average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 39% of adults feel lonely in La Mirada.
| La Mirada | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 22% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.4% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | La Mirada | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5% | 7.3% |
| More adults with high cholesterol | 37.9% | 35.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
6.2 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is La Mirada Community Regional Park, at 77 acres.
| La Mirada | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.7% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Creek Park | 1.3 mi | 16 |
| 2. Oak Creek Park | 0.9 mi | 9 |
| 3. La Mirada Community Regional Park | 0.7 mi | 77 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 46.6°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 84.6°.
La Mirada has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. La Mirada’s July high is 85°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Crime runs higher than in most U.S. towns, but its C+ tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Buena Park (C−) comes closest. Reported crimes fell from 984 to 755 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 65% of towns. The violent crime rate in La Mirada is 1.5 per 1,000 residents.
| La Mirada | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
La Mirada has about as many jobs (18,987) as working residents, but only 1,068 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave La Mirada for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, La Mirada has added 2,027 jobs, to 18,987 in 2023. 6.2% of La Mirada residents live below the poverty line.
| La Mirada | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical La Mirada home is worth about $880,000, up 2.2% in a year, 16% above the California typical home.
| La Mirada | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,217 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 64% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 21% of residents (16% statewide). La Mirada has lost 5.6% of its people since 2020, down to 45,952 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| La Mirada | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.9 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.6 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 44.8, men 40.8.
| La Mirada | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.4% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.4% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.7% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.9% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.4% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
44 within 15 miles of the center of La Mirada
About 11 of every 100 La Mirada residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
23 notable people were born in La Mirada.
City in California, United States
La Mirada is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities, on the border with Orange County. The population was 48,008 at the 2020 census. The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and the Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center are two of its major attractions. It is the home of Biola University, an evangelical Christian institution of higher education.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with La Mirada.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Mirada | #219 | B− | D− | C+ | B | A− |
| South Whittier | #267 | C+ | D− | — | B+ | B |
| East Whittier | #90 | B+ | D | — | A− | A− |
| Santa Fe Springs | #596 | D | D− | D− | B+ | B− |
| Buena Park | #423 | C | D− | C− | B | B |
| Fullerton | #317 | C+ | D− | C− | A− | B+ |
South Whittier and East Whittier report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare La Mirada with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
La Mirada grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #219 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 65% 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−.
23 notable people were born here, including Eric Winter and Jennie Finch.
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