Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. San Clemente grades B overall, ranked 119th of 841 in California. It is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns and its schools outperform 88% of the state's. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $1.8 million, 18.3 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. San Clemente’s typical home value is $1,751,000, above both California’s towns ($709,000) and U.S. towns ($332,000). San Clemente has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Oscar Easley Block and Casa Romantica.
Where San Clemente beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far San Clemente is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 667 in 1930, 64,293 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1929 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around San Clemente. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw35 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw30 mi Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
29 mi Stadium & arenaHonda Center
33 mi MuseumRichard Nixon Presidential Library and MuseumDisneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Angel Stadium of Anaheim: Staff Sgt. Chad McMeen, Public domain · Disney California Adventure: CrispyCream27, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Honda Center: Arnold C (Buchanan-Hermit), Attribution · Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum: The original uploader was Sorcha at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in San Clemente, 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 Clemente.
San Clemente fares better on crime within California than nationally 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 18.3 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $1.75M) costs more against local pay than in 95% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Home values rose 47% in five years, to about $1.75M, against 13% across California.
The median rent in San Clemente is $2,460 a month. Typical home values rose 5.9% in the year to September 2026. The typical San Clemente home is worth about $1,751,000, up 5.9% in a year, more than twice the California typical home.
| San Clemente | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,460 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 55% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 64% | 73% |
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 $1.75M.
Its public schools are run by the Capistrano Unified school district. Two of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernice Ayer MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 919 | – |
| San Clemente HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,740 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
45 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. San Clemente’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile. San Clemente State Beach, at 122 acres with 2.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| San Clemente | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.5 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Clemente State Beach | 2.1 mi | 122 |
| 2. San Gorgonio Park | 1.2 mi | 23 |
| 3. Rancho San Clemente Park | 0.5 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is food insecurity: 9.4% of its 50,734 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.9% statewide. Against the 3,563 U.S. towns with household incomes like San Clemente’s, it is healthier than 56%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
24% of San Clemente adults have obesity. San Clemente beats the California average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 8.4% of San Clemente adults smoke cigarettes.
| San Clemente | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.4% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | San Clemente | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 57 flood insurance claims have been paid out in San Clemente.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 47.9°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 75.4°.
San Clemente has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| San Clemente | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 75°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 48°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave San Clemente for work: only 18% work in town. 23% of workers work from home in San Clemente. Jobs based in San Clemente grew to 20,158 in 2023, 2,140 more than in 2013.
| San Clemente | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $140,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 23% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 18.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 79% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 986 to 640 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4 within 15 miles of the center of San Clemente
About 6 of every 100 San Clemente residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
6 places in San Clemente on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in San Clemente.
City in California, United States
San Clemente ( san kleh-MEN-teh; Spanish for 'St. Clement' Spanish: [saŋ kleˈmente]) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, San Clemente is a popular tourist destination in Southern California, known for its beaches, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, and hospitality industry. San Clemente's city slogan is "Spanish Village by the Sea." Some locals anglicize the tow…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with San Clemente.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Clemente | #119 | B | D− | B− | A | A |
| San Juan Capistrano | #121 | B | D− | B− | A | A− |
| Dana Point | #73 | B+ | D− | B | A | A |
| Rancho Mission Viejo | #122 | B | D− | — | A | A+ |
Rancho Mission Viejo reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare San Clemente with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. San Clemente grades B overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #119 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, B− for safety and A 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−.
26 notable people were born here, including Chloe East and Jackson Hinkle.
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