Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
National City earns a D, ranked 563rd of 841 in California, mostly because of safety. It reports more crime per resident than 88% of U.S. towns, including 368 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: it is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. National City’s July high is 75°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. National City's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns. Only 47 of California’s 1,063 towns score higher on history.
Where National City beats most towns.
Brick Row| College | Students |
|---|---|
| California Institute of Arts & Technology-National City | 1 |
Its founding year, 1800, comes before those of 98% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 248 in 1880, 56,173 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1882 and 7 maps from 1904 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far National City is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for safety (better than 12%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around National City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi LandmarkMexico–United States border wall
5 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
6 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
5 mi Park & preserveBalboa Park
6 mi MuseumUSS Midway MuseumMexico–United States border wall: Földhegy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Petco Park: Mds08011, CC BY 4.0 · Snapdragon Stadium: Terrible Tim, CC BY-SA 4.0 · San Diego Zoo: en:User:Cburnett, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Balboa Park: Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Midway Museum: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in National City, 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 National City.
National City has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and costs less than Chula Vista or any other town next door, but it scores below Chula Vista and its other neighbors on health.
Reported crimes fell from 1,533 to 1,337 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
National City’s violent crime rate is 6.4 per 1,000 residents. National City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less. National City’s property crime rate is 16.8 per 1,000 residents.
| National City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.8 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its B, San Diego highest at B+.
Two of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| National City MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 709 | C+ |
| San Diego Workforce Innovation HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,722 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 42 flood insurance claims have been paid out in National City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 48°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 74.5°.
National City has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. The January low in National City is 48°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave National City for work: only 9% work in town. 15% of National City residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in National City grew to 20,950 in 2023, 1,436 more than in 2013.
| National City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.5% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
4.1 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, at 351 acres.
| National City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. El Toyon Park | 0.8 mi | 25 |
| 2. Kimball Park | 0.5 mi | 33 |
| 3. Pepper Park | 0.4 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C+, from Chula Vista (B+) to San Diego (A).
National City beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 28% of adults worry about having enough food in National City.
| National City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 16% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 33% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | National City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.9% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 16.6% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Chula Vista is next at $845K.
The typical National City home is worth about $685,000, up 2.6% in a year, 10% below the California typical home.
| National City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 35% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 60% | 55% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,692 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
25 within 15 miles of the center of National City
About 7 of every 100 National City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
4 places in National City on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in National City.
City in California, United States
National City is a city in the South Bay region of southwestern San Diego County, California, United States. The population was 56,173 at the 2020 United States census, down from 58,582 at the 2010 census. National City is the second-oldest city in San Diego County, having been incorporated in 1887.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with National City.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Chula Vista (C+) is closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National City | #563 | D | D | D | B | C+ |
| San Diego | #249 | C+ | D− | C− | B+ | A |
| Chula Vista | #282 | C+ | D− | C | B+ | B+ |
| Bonita | #176 | B− | D− | — | B+ | A |
Bonita reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare National City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
National City grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #563 of 841 in California. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 6.4 years of the area's median household income ($106,268 across the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
16 notable people were born here, including John Baldessari and Juan Vargas.
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