Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rancho Santa Fe’s best subject grades are an A+ for health and incomes and an A for schools; its weakest is a D− for cost of living. 72% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Rancho Santa Fe, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 8 of California’s 1,058 towns score lower on cost of living. Rancho Santa Fe has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Norman and Florence B. Carmichael House and Samuel Bingham House. Rancho Santa Fe’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, where California’s towns sit at 1.0 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Rancho Santa Fe has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Rancho Santa Fe beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Rancho Santa Fe | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.9% | 10.6% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| R. Roger Rowe Elementary | K–5 | 316 |
| R. Roger Rowe Middle | 6–8 | 189 |
Charles A. Shaffer House
Census counts: 3,252 in 2000, 3,156 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Rancho Santa Fe is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rancho Santa Fe. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi LandmarkMexico–United States border wall
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
22 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
20 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
10 mi Theme parkLegoland California
18 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Diego4.0M visitors a yearMexico–United States border wall: Földhegy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Snapdragon Stadium: Terrible Tim, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Petco Park: Mds08011, CC BY 4.0 · San Diego Zoo: en:User:Cburnett, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Legoland California: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdigger/, CC BY 2.0 · SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rancho Santa Fe is unincorporated, so San Diego County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Rancho Santa Fe.
93% of households own their home in Rancho Santa Fe. Typical home values rose 6.9% in the year to September 2026. Rancho Santa Fe’s median rent is $3,501 a month.
| Rancho Santa Fe | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 93% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Rancho Santa Fe Elementary school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| R. Roger Rowe ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 316 | A+ |
| R. Roger Rowe MiddleTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 189 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
14% of Rancho Santa Fe adults get no exercise outside work. Rancho Santa Fe beats the California average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 27% of Rancho Santa Fe adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Rancho Santa Fe | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Rancho Santa Fe | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.8% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Rancho Santa Fe for work: only 3% work in town. The median household income in Rancho Santa Fe is $176,000. Jobs based in Rancho Santa Fe fell to 1,249 in 2023, 771 fewer than in 2013.
| Rancho Santa Fe | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $176,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rancho Santa Fe.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Rancho Santa Fe has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 45° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
13 within 15 miles of the center of Rancho Santa Fe
About 1 of every 100 Rancho Santa Fe residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Rancho Santa Fe’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
11 places in Rancho Santa Fe on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Rancho Santa Fe.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Rancho Santa Fe is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, United States, within the San Diego metropolitan area. The population was 3,156 at the 2020 census. The CDP is primarily residential with a few shopping blocks, a middle and elementary school, and several restaurants. Rancho Santa Fe borders the Fairbanks Ranch gated community to the southeast, Solana Beach to the southwest, and Encinitas to the west.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Rancho Santa Fe.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Santa Fe | — | — | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Fairbanks Ranch | #54 | A− | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
Rancho Santa Fe has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Rancho Santa Fe and Fairbanks Ranch report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Rancho Santa Fe with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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−.
4 notable people were born here, including Taylor Fritz and Brandon Miller.
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