Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 81,977, settled in 1870.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Newport Beach grades B overall, 144th among California's 841 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 96% of the country and the median household earns $157K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $3.7 million, 38.7 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. 70% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Newport Beach, against 29% in California’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Newport Beach is home to Interior Designers Institute. On the outdoors, just 85 of California’s 1,064 towns do better.
Where Newport Beach beats most towns.
Census counts: 445 in 1910, 85,239 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Newport Beach is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for health (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Newport Beach. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw25 mi MuseumUSS Iowa
Big draw17 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw36 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw36 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 · USS Iowa: PH1 Jeff Hilton, Public domain · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, 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 Newport 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 Newport Beach.
Newport Beach draws workers from Irvine and beyond 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 38.7 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $3.71M) costs more against local pay than in any other California town; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Home values rose 56% in five years, to about $3.71M, against 13% across California.
Newport Beach’s median rent is $3,316 a month. Typical home values rose 10% in the year to September 2026. 52% of households own their home in Newport Beach.
| Newport Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,316 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 52% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 52% | 55% | 48% |
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 $3.71M.
Its public schools are run by the Newport-Mesa Unified school district. Three of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horace Ensign IntermediateLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 875 | A− |
| Corona del Mar HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 2,106 | A− |
| Roy O. Andersen ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 353 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,349 U.S. towns with household incomes like Newport Beach’s, it is healthier than 79%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
22% of Newport Beach adults have obesity. Newport Beach beats the California average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 6.6% of Newport Beach adults smoke cigarettes.
| Newport Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.6% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Newport Beach | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.8% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
81,095 jobs are based in Newport Beach, 2.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 28.9% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Newport Beach for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Newport Beach grew to 81,095 in 2023, 14,540 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Newport Beach is 23 minutes.
| Newport Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $157,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
41 miles of trail in 38 parks and preserves. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, at 1,023 acres with 4.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park | 4.1 mi | 1,023 |
| 2. Buck Gully Reserve | 3.5 mi | 298 |
| 3. Crystal Cove State Park | 1.4 mi | 257 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 167 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Newport Beach.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 1,845 to 1,472 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 57% of towns.
| Newport Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.3 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 47.5°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 78.7°.
Newport Beach has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Newport Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 79°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 48°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
25 within 15 miles of the center of Newport Beach
About 6 of every 100 Newport Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Coastal flooding makes up 9% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
6 places in Newport Beach on the National Register of Historic Places.
48 notable people were born in Newport Beach.
City in California, United States
Newport Beach is a coastal city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, Newport Beach had a population of 85,239. Located about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime industries; today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws visitors with a waterfront path and easy access from the ferry to the shops and restaurants.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Newport Beach.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport Beach | #144 | B | D− | C | A− | A+ |
| Costa Mesa | #125 | B | D− | — | A− | A− |
| Irvine | #74 | B+ | D− | B− | A | A+ |
Costa Mesa reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Newport Beach with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Newport Beach grades B overall, better than 59% of U.S. towns and #144 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 57% 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−.
48 notable people were born here, including Kelly McGillis and Leo Howard.
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