Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 18,793: a town settled in 1888.
A tough set of grades. Overall, Santa Fe Springs earns a D: better than just over a tenth of U.S. towns, and 596th of 841 in California. The weak point is safety — its police reported 177 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. Its best grade is for walkability (B+): it is more walkable than 74% of U.S. towns. At about $777K, a typical home costs 8.1 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Incomes is another plus: the median household earns $88K. The town is home to Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America. Santa Fe Springs’ violent offense rate is 9.5 per 1,000 residents, where California’s towns sit at 2.9 and U.S. towns at 1.6.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow.
Where Santa Fe Springs beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
16,223 counted in 2010 and 19,219 in 2020; an estimated 18,793 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.2%, after 18.5% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Santa Fe Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 16,342 in 1960, 19,219 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1923 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Santa Fe Springs. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw20 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw14 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw7 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw14 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 · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Santa Fe Springs, 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 Santa Fe Springs.
Santa Fe Springs draws workers from Los Angeles and beyond and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports violent crime at about twice the California rate.
Violent crime runs at 9.5 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 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Pico Rivera (C−) to La Mirada (C+).
Only 8 of the 437 California towns we compare have a higher violent offense rate than Santa Fe Springs.
| Santa Fe Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 57.8 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The public schools here belong to the Whittier Union High school district. The largest public high school is Santa Fe High, with 1,865 students. Two of the 7 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Center MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 708 | – |
| Santa Fe HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,865 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
58,076 jobs are based in Santa Fe Springs, 7.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The top destinations are Los Angeles (15%), Anaheim (4%) and Whittier (3%). The average commute for Santa Fe Springs comes to 34 minutes. Jobs based in Santa Fe Springs grew to 58,076 in 2023, 4,618 more than in 2013. Among residents locally, 13% live below the poverty line.
| Santa Fe Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 18% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Santa Fe Springs after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 89% of U.S. communities. 78% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 21%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 46.7°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 85.2°.
In Santa Fe Springs, the January low is 47°F. Snow almost never falls.
| Santa Fe Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 47°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Santa Fe Springs, 28% say their health is fair or poor and 24% worry about having enough food. CDC measures, 32 in all: Santa Fe Springs beats California on 2 and trails on 12. 41% of Santa Fe Springs adults feel lonely.
| Santa Fe Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 33% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Santa Fe Springs | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 18.2% | 20.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 15.9% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Santa Fe Springs’ going rate for rent comes in at $2,033 a month. The typical Santa Fe Springs home is worth about $777,000, up 1% in a year, close to the California typical home. The share of households in Santa Fe Springs who live in a home they own: 61%.
| Santa Fe Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,033 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Walkers can cover 0.9 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Santa Fe Springs’ density of trails stands at 0.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Little Lake Park, at 21 acres.
| Santa Fe Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Los Nietos Park | 0.5 mi | 11 |
| 2. Heritage Springs Sculpture Garden | 0.4 mi | 4 |
| 3. Little Lake Park | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
51 within 15 miles of the center of Santa Fe Springs
About 8 of every 100 Santa Fe Springs residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Santa Fe Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in California, United States
Santa Fe Springs (Santa Fe, Spanish for "Holy Faith") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. The population was 19,219 at the 2020 census, up from 16,223 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Santa Fe Springs.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Pico Rivera (C−) is closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe Springs | #596 | D | D− | D− | B+ | B− |
| West Whittier-Los Nietos | #297 | C+ | D | — | B | B− |
| South Whittier | #267 | C+ | D− | — | B+ | B |
| Norwalk | #437 | C | D− | C− | B+ | B− |
| Pico Rivera | #517 | C− | D | C− | B | C+ |
| Whittier | #383 | C | D− | C− | B+ | B+ |
| La Mirada | #219 | B− | D− | C+ | B | A− |
| Downey | #257 | C+ | D− | — | B+ | B |
West Whittier-Los Nietos, South Whittier and Downey report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Santa Fe Springs with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Santa Fe Springs grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #596 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health, D− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety 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−.
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