Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Solana Beach grades A overall, 23rd among California's 841 graded towns. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 96% of California towns on state tests and graduation. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $2.2 million, 20.8 years of the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income. 72% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Solana Beach, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Solana Beach is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. On history, just 38 of California’s 1,063 towns do worse.
Where Solana Beach beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Skyline Elementary | K–6 | 410 |
| Solana Vista Elementary | K–3 | 317 |
| Leport Montessori | PK–6 | 180 |
Where Solana Beach’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 Solana Beach is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for health (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,023 in 1970, 12,941 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2026 and 5 maps from 1943 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Solana Beach. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi LandmarkMexico–United States border wall
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
21 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
19 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
7 mi BeachBlack's Beach
16 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 · Black's Beach: Levi Clancy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Solana Beach, 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 Solana Beach.
Solana Beach fares better on crime within California than nationally, has schools in the top 5% of California and draws workers from San Diego and beyond.
At 20.8 years of the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income, the typical home (about $2.21M) costs more against local pay than in 97% of California towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. Home values rose 36% in five years, to about $2.21M, against 13% across California.
Homes in Solana Beach are typically worth about $2,209,000, up 7.5% in a year, 3 times the California typical home. In Solana Beach, the rent at the middle of the market is $3,212 a month. Among households locally, 68% are owner-occupiers.
| Solana Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,212 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade ranks #18 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. It comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $2.21M.
Two of the 6 schools are below, and why each made the list. Public schools: the Solana Beach Elementary school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Warren MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 476 | – |
| Santa Fe Christian Schools PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,077 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
In Solana Beach, 7.1% of adults worry about having enough food. Of 32 CDC measures, Solana Beach beats the California average on 21 and trails it on 2.
| Solana Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 24% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Solana Beach | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.1% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
8,288 jobs are based in Solana Beach, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 21 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Most people who work leave Solana Beach to do it: just 10% work in town. This California town had 8,288 jobs in 2023, up 893 from 2013. For Solana Beach, the income of the median household is $152,000. The top destinations are San Diego (38%), Carlsbad (6%) and Encinitas (6%).
| Solana Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 31% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $152,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Count the trails in 4 parks and preserves and they come to 5.7 miles. The biggest place to walk is San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve, 45 acres with 1.4 miles of trail. The density of trails in Solana Beach is 1.6 miles per square mile.
| Solana Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve | 1.4 mi | 45 |
| 2. La Colonia Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
| 3. Fletcher Cove Beach Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 48.2°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 73.3°.
Solana Beach’s January low is 48°F. Snow is a rarity.
| Solana Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 73°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 48°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 1995, Solana Beach has seen 19 flood insurance claims paid out. In Solana Beach, the FEMA risk score is 60 of 100. Expected losses in Solana Beach break down as 61% from inland flooding and 37% from earthquakes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Solana Beach after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 15.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 85% of California’s graded towns. Its B tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Encinitas (B) comes closest.
Solana Beach reports less crime per resident than 57% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. The rate of thefts and burglaries for Solana Beach comes to 7.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Solana Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
13 within 15 miles of the center of Solana Beach
About 4 of every 100 Solana Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
City in California, United States
Solana Beach (Solana, Spanish for "sunny side") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, on the South Coast. Its population was at 12,940 at the 2020 U.S. census, up from 12,867 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Solana Beach.
At #23 in CA, it grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Encinitas (A−) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solana Beach | #23 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Encinitas | #40 | A− | D− | B | A | A+ |
| San Diego | #249 | C+ | D− | C− | B+ | A |
| Del Mar | #45 | A− | D− | B− | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Solana Beach grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #23 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−.
2 notable people were born here, including A. J. Soares and Spencer Danielson.
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