Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Laguna Niguel grades B+ overall, 69th among California's 841 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 91% of the country and its schools rank ahead of 88% of California towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $1.5 million, 15.6 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Laguna Niguel’s going rate for rent is $2,903 a month, where California’s towns sit at $1,895 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Only 39 of California’s 426 towns score higher on safety. Laguna Niguel is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Laguna Niguel beats most towns.
Where Laguna Niguel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Laguna Niguel is from typical.
Its grades run from A for health (better than 91% 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: 4,644 in 1970, 64,355 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 4 maps from 1948 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Laguna Niguel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw36 mi MuseumUSS Iowa
Big draw28 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw23 mi Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
22 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 Niguel, 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 Niguel.
Laguna Niguel fares better on crime within California than nationally and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 15.6 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $1.49M) costs more against local pay than in 93% of California towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. Home values rose 53% in five years, to about $1.49M, against 13% across California.
A home in Laguna Niguel typically sold within 38 days of listing. Typical home values rose 5.1% in the year to September 2026. In Laguna Niguel, 58% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Laguna Niguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 58% | 55% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.49M.
Below: Two of its 15 schools, each with why it was picked. The Capistrano Unified school district runs its public schools. Also worth knowing: the 6 public schools in Laguna Niguel teach 3,128 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Roots AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 780 | – |
| Armenta Learning Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 1–10 | Grades 1–10 | 9 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The biggest place to walk is Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, 562 acres with 1.9 miles of trail. Walkers can cover 27 miles of trail in 36 parks and preserves. The trail density in Laguna Niguel is 1.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crown Valley Community Park | 2.4 mi | 44 |
| 2. Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park | 1.9 mi | 562 |
| 3. Laguna Niguel Regional Park | 1.2 mi | 190 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 4.9% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 3,520 U.S. towns with household incomes like Laguna Niguel’s, it is healthier than 67%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Among adults in Laguna Niguel, 12% report frequent physical distress. Of 32 CDC measures, Laguna Niguel beats the California average on 19 and trails it on 1. In Laguna Niguel, 7.7% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 18% get no exercise outside work.
| Laguna Niguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.7% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Laguna Niguel | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
26.8% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
For most workers, Laguna Niguel is a place to come home to: only 6% work in town. The share of workers in Laguna Niguel who work from home: 27%. The top destinations are Irvine (15%), Los Angeles (6%) and Newport Beach (4%). The town’s middle household income comes in at $140,000.
| Laguna Niguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $140,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 47.8°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 78.2°.
In Laguna Niguel, the July high is 78°F. Snow almost never falls.
| Laguna Niguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 48°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 92% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 691 to 482 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
For Laguna Niguel, the property offense rate is 6.4 per 1,000 residents. Laguna Niguel’s violent offense rate stands at 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Laguna Niguel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Of the losses FEMA expects in Laguna Niguel, 61% come from inland flooding and 36% from earthquakes. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 63% of U.S. communities. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2017.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
12 within 15 miles of the center of Laguna Niguel
About 6 of every 100 Laguna Niguel residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
8 notable people were born in Laguna Niguel.
City in California, United States
Laguna Niguel ( luh-GOO-nuh nih-GEL) is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The name Laguna Niguel is derived from the words "Laguna" (Spanish for "lagoon") and "Niguili" (the name of a Native American village once located near Aliso Creek). It also appeared in Spanish records as Nigüili, Nigüel, or Neuil from Juaneño (Acjachemem) nawil. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,355. Laguna Niguel is located in the San Joaquin Hills in the southeastern corner of Orange County, close to the Pacific Ocean, and borders the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, and San Juan Capistrano. Laguna Niguel has its origins in the Rancho Niguel …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Laguna Niguel.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Niguel | #69 | B+ | D− | B+ | A | A |
| San Juan Capistrano | #121 | B | D− | B− | A | A− |
| Laguna Beach | #86 | B+ | D− | C+ | A | A |
| Dana Point | #73 | B+ | D− | B | A | A |
| Laguna Hills | #158 | B | D− | B− | A− | A |
| Aliso Viejo | #47 | A− | D− | B+ | A | A |
| Mission Viejo | #87 | B+ | D− | B | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Laguna Niguel grades B+ overall, better than 74% of U.S. towns and #69 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−.
8 notable people were born here, including Giancarla Trevisan and Gavyn Bailey.
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