Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 22,391, settled in 1887.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Laguna Beach grades B+ overall, ranked 86th of 841 in California. It is healthier than 94% of U.S. towns and its schools rank ahead of 93% of California towns. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $3.0 million for a typical one and 31.7 times the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. 69% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Laguna Beach, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 26 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on the outdoors. Laguna Beach is home to Laguna College of Art and Design.
Where Laguna Beach beats most towns.
31.5% of the town is conserved land, across 16 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Laguna Beach is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,981 in 1930, 23,032 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 6 maps from 1896 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Laguna Beach. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw33 mi MuseumUSS Iowa
Big draw25 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw20 mi Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
19 mi Stadium & arenaHonda CenterDisneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · USS Iowa: PH1 Jeff Hilton, Public domain · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Angel Stadium of Anaheim: Staff Sgt. Chad McMeen, Public domain · Disney California Adventure: CrispyCream27, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Honda Center: Arnold C (Buchanan-Hermit), Attribution
Who provides power, water and the rest in Laguna Beach, 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 Laguna Beach.
Laguna Beach keeps more of its land conserved than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports more crime than Dana Point and its other graded neighbors.
At 31.7 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $3.04M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Dana Point is next at $1.77M.
The median rent in Laguna Beach is $2,986 a month. Typical home values rose 6.8% in the year to September 2026.
| Laguna Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,986 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $3.04M.
Its public schools are run by the Laguna Beach Unified school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the World ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 536 | – |
| Laguna Beach HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 815 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its 1,789 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 93% of California towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #16 of 847 in California.
22 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. Laguna Beach’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile. Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, at 1,111 acres with 9.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park | 9.2 mi | 1,111 |
| 2. James Dilley Greenbelt Preserve | 5.1 mi | 321 |
| 3. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park | 2.3 mi | 446 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 3,237 U.S. towns with household incomes like Laguna Beach’s, it is healthier than 76%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
23% of Laguna Beach adults have obesity. Laguna Beach beats the California average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 30% of Laguna Beach adults feel lonely.
| Laguna Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Laguna Beach | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.7% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.7% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
249 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 31 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 249 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Laguna Beach.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 47.5°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 77.1°.
Laguna Beach has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Laguna Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 48°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Laguna Beach has about as many jobs (8,914) as working residents, but only 1,212 people both live and work here. 36.4% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Laguna Beach for work: only 15% work in town. 36% of workers work from home in Laguna Beach. Since 2013, Laguna Beach has added 1,049 jobs, to 8,914 in 2023.
| Laguna Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 36% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $144,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Dana Point (B) to Laguna Woods (A−). Reported crimes fell from 461 to 282 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 67% of towns.
| Laguna Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 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
14 within 15 miles of the center of Laguna Beach
About 5 of every 100 Laguna Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
4 places in Laguna Beach on the National Register of Historic Places.
29 notable people were born in Laguna Beach.
City in the United States
Laguna Beach ( lə-GOO-nə; laguna, Spanish for "lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic coves, and environmental preservation efforts. The population in the 2020 census was 23,032. Historically settled by Paleoindians, the Tongva people, and then Mexico, the location became part of the United States following the Mexican–American War. Laguna Beach was settled in the 1870s, officially founded in 1887, and in 1927 its current government was incorporated as a city. The city adopted the council–manager form of government in 1944. The city has remained rel…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Laguna Beach.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Beach | #86 | B+ | D− | C+ | A | A |
| Laguna Niguel | #69 | B+ | D− | B+ | A | A |
| Dana Point | #73 | B+ | D− | B | A | A |
| Aliso Viejo | #47 | A− | D− | B+ | A | A |
| Laguna Woods | #153 | B | D | A− | A− | B |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Laguna Beach grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #86 of 841 in California. It grades A 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−.
29 notable people were born here, including Lauren Conrad and Derek Sherinian.
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