Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
San Bernardino earns a D−, 766th among California's 841 graded towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 96% of U.S. towns, with 2,010 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. San Bernardino’s violent crime rate is 8.9 per 1,000 residents, above both the California town median (2.9) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). San Bernardino National Forest, at 3,975 acres with 11.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. San Bernardino's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns.
Where San Bernardino beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Gene Hackman
Census counts: 1,673 in 1880, 222,101 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far San Bernardino is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around San Bernardino. Close and well known come first.
23 mi MountainMount San Antonio
16 mi Stadium & arenaToyota Arena
35 mi MuseumRichard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
27 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain
19 mi LakeBig Bear Lake
8 mi TheatreGlen Helen AmphitheaterMount San Antonio: The original uploader was Tillman at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Toyota Arena: jondoeforty1, CC BY 2.0 · Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum: The original uploader was Sorcha at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 · San Gorgonio Mountain: Doc Searls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Big Bear Lake: H.G. Judd, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Glen Helen Amphitheater: Alonzo, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in San Bernardino, 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 San Bernardino.
San Bernardino has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports violent crime at about twice the California rate.
Violent crime runs at 8.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the California rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Rialto (D) to Redlands (C−).
The property crime rate in San Bernardino is 24.3 per 1,000 residents. San Bernardino reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the San Bernardino City Unified school district. Three of its 85 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cesar E. Chavez MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,107 | – |
| Cajon HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,748 | – |
| San Bernardino HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,440 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 98% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 87 flood insurance claims have been paid out in San Bernardino.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
32% of San Bernardino adults say their health is fair or poor. San Bernardino beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 34% of San Bernardino adults worry about having enough food.
| San Bernardino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 16% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | San Bernardino | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.5% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 20.2% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical San Bernardino home is worth about $493,000, up 2.4% in a year, 35% below the California typical home. 50% of households own their home in San Bernardino.
| San Bernardino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 63% | 55% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,508 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| San Bernardino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Bernardino National Forest | 11.3 mi | 3,975 |
| 2. Seccombe Lake Park | 1.3 mi | 48 |
| 3. Perris Hill Park | 1.2 mi | 63 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Redlands weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 329 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. The Redlands weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 104 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
San Bernardino has warm winters and hot summers, with very little rain. San Bernardino’s July high is 96°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 5 of San Bernardino’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in San Bernardino grew to 113,470 in 2023, 18,894 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Riverside (5%), Los Angeles (5%) and Ontario (4%).
| San Bernardino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Work from home | 6.2% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
10 within 15 miles of the center of San Bernardino
About 6 of every 100 San Bernardino residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
2 colleges in town.
5 places in San Bernardino on the National Register of Historic Places.
49 notable people were born in San Bernardino.
City in California, United States
San Bernardino ( SAN BUR-nə-DEE-noh; Spanish: [ˌsãm beɾ.naɾˈð̞i.no]) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the 18th–most populous city in California. The Riverside–San Bernardino metropolitan area at 4.74 million residents is the 12th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. San Bernardino is the economic, cultural, and political hub of the San Bernardino Valley, sharing that distinction for the wider Inland Empire with its twin city of Riverside. San Bernardino was named in 1810, when Spanish priest Francisco Dumetz l…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with San Bernardino.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Colton (D) is closest. Loma Linda next door grades higher for schools (B+ to San Bernardino’s C+) and lower for cost of living (D− to C−).
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino | #766 | D− | C− | D− | C+ | C− |
| Highland | #597 | D | D | — | B− | C+ |
| Colton | #694 | D | D | C− | C | C |
| Muscoy | #661 | D | C− | — | C+ | D |
| Rialto | #693 | D | D | D | C+ | C |
| Loma Linda | #234 | B− | D− | — | B+ | A− |
| Redlands | #360 | C | D− | C− | B+ | A− |
Highland, Muscoy and Loma Linda report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare San Bernardino with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
San Bernardino grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #766 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. That is 5.5 years of the area's median household income ($89,662 across the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, 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 C−.
49 notable people were born here, including Gene Hackman and Shailene Woodley.
