Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Laguna Hills grades B overall, ranked 158th of 841 in California. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 86% of the country and its public schools beat 81% of California towns on state tests and graduation. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $1.2 million for a typical one and 12.8 times the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Laguna Hills’ median rent is $2,728 a month, where California’s towns sit at $1,895 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. On history, just 48 of California’s 1,063 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Aliso Creek Open Space, at 32 acres.
Where Laguna Hills beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Laguna Hills is from typical.
Its grades run from A for health (better than 86% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 13,676 in 1970, a peak of 46,731 in 1990, 31,374 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 4 maps from 1948 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Laguna Hills. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw35 mi MuseumUSS Iowa
Big draw25 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw20 mi Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
18 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 Hills, 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 Hills.
Laguna Hills has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports more crime than Irvine and its other graded neighbors and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
13 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. The trail density in Laguna Hills is 2.0 miles per square mile.
| Laguna Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.0 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Aliso Creek Open Space | 0.6 mi | 32 |
| 2. Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park | 0.6 mi | 19 |
| 3. Laguna Hills Community Center & Sports Complex | 0.4 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.23M.
Its public schools are run by the Saddleback Valley Unified school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Laguna Hills High, with 1,317 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valencia ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 525 | – |
| Laguna Hills HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,317 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
At 12.8 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $1.23M) costs more against local pay than in 88% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Home values rose 40% in five years, to about $1.23M, against 13% across California.
67% of Laguna Hills renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent. Typical home values rose 4.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Laguna Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 67% | 55% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 6.3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 4,674 U.S. towns with household incomes like Laguna Hills’s, it is healthier than 62%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
24% of adults have obesity in Laguna Hills.
| Laguna Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Laguna Hills | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.3% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.4% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Laguna Hills.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 47.3°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 82.2°.
Laguna Hills has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Laguna Hills’ January low is 47°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Laguna Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 47°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Laguna Hills has about as many jobs (14,808) as working residents, but only 735 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Laguna Hills for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Irvine (16%), Mission Viejo (6%) and Los Angeles (6%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
| Laguna Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $129,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Each of the 6 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Irvine (B−) to Laguna Woods (A−). Reported crimes fell from 469 to 319 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 75% of towns.
| Laguna Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
15 within 15 miles of the center of Laguna Hills
About 7 of every 100 Laguna Hills residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
City in California, United States
Laguna Hills ( luh-GOO-nuh; laguna being Spanish for 'lagoon') is a city in southern Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Laguna Woods—are similarly named. The population was 31,374 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Laguna Hills.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B; Laguna Woods (B) is closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Hills | #158 | B | D− | B− | A− | A |
| Laguna Woods | #153 | B | D | A− | A− | B |
| Laguna Niguel | #69 | B+ | D− | B+ | A | A |
| Aliso Viejo | #47 | A− | D− | B+ | A | A |
| Mission Viejo | #87 | B+ | D− | B | A | A |
| Irvine | #74 | B+ | D− | B− | A | A+ |
| Lake Forest | #88 | B+ | D− | B | A− | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Laguna Hills grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #158 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.
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