Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pico Rivera grades C− overall, ranked 517th of 841 in California, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $746K, 7.8 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Pico Rivera's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where Pico Rivera beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Pico Rivera’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 Pico Rivera is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 49,150 in 1960, 62,088 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1967 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pico Rivera. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw16 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw17 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw12 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaCrypto.com ArenaSoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Crypto.com Arena: Troutfarm27, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pico Rivera, 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 Pico Rivera.
Pico Rivera has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
Reported crimes fell from 1,771 to 1,523 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Pico Rivera’s violent crime rate is 4.8 per 1,000 residents, against 2.9 in California’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. The property crime rate in Pico Rivera is 21.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Pico Rivera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the El Rancho Unified school district. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rivera MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 544 | – |
| El Rancho HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,995 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Since 1980, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pico Rivera.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Pico Rivera for work: only 6% work in town. Pico Rivera’s average trip to work is 30 minutes, above both the California town median (28 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). 8.7% of workers work from home in Pico Rivera.
| Pico Rivera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Pico Rivera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.7% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Smith Park | — | 16 |
| 2. Rivera Park | — | 15 |
| 3. Rio Hondo Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 46.9°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 85.6°.
Pico Rivera has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Pico Rivera’s January low is 47°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Pico Rivera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 47°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 86°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pico Rivera beats the California average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 42% of Pico Rivera adults feel lonely.
| Pico Rivera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 33% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Pico Rivera | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.1% | 5.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 18.9% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Pico Rivera home is worth about $747,000, up 1% in a year, close to the California typical home.
| Pico Rivera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,786 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 64% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
67 within 15 miles of the center of Pico Rivera
About 8 of every 100 Pico Rivera residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
5 notable people were born in Pico Rivera.
City in California, United States
Pico Rivera is a city located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a population of 62,088. Pico Rivera is bordered by Montebello to the west, Downey to the south, Santa Fe Springs to the southeast, and Whittier to the east. Northrop Grumman's Advanced Systems Division developed the B-2 Spirit bomber here.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Pico Rivera.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pico Rivera | #517 | C− | D | C− | B | C+ |
| Montebello | #680 | D | D− | D | C | B− |
| Industry | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Whittier | #383 | C | D− | C− | B+ | B+ |
| Santa Fe Springs | #596 | D | D− | D− | B+ | B− |
| West Whittier-Los Nietos | #297 | C+ | D | — | B | B− |
| Downey | #257 | C+ | D− | — | B+ | B |
West Whittier-Los Nietos and Downey report no FBI crime data of their own. Industry isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pico Rivera with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pico Rivera grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #517 of 841 in California. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
5 notable people were born here, including Jennifer Syme and Zahid Valencia.
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