South WhittierCA
A city of 55,650.
What should you know before moving to South Whittier?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Overall it grades C+, 267th among California's 841 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $708K, 7.4 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. South Whittier’s January low is 47°F, against 40°F in California’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns.
What makes South Whittier stand out
Where South Whittier beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ceres Elementary | K–5 | 492 |
| Orchard Dale Elementary | K–5 | 472 |
| Los Altos Elementary | K–6 | 457 |
98% of working residents leave South Whittier for work
Where South Whittier’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How South Whittier grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far South Whittier is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Disneyland and 240 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Whittier. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw21 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw6 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw16 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumPhoto credits
Disneyland: 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 · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Moving to South Whittier: who provides what
South Whittier is unincorporated, so Los Angeles 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in South Whittier.
South Whittier has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, sends most of its workers to Los Angeles and beyond and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
Top of a very high hazard risk in South Whittier: earthquakes
Of the losses FEMA expects in South Whittier, 51% come from earthquakes and 48% from inland flooding. 2 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
On state tests, South Whittier’s schools beat 71% of California districts
Below: Two of its 14 schools, each with why it was picked. The 6 public schools in South Whittier teach 2,677 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillview MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 643 | – |
| California HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,261 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Most people working in South Whittier commute elsewhere
South Whittier has 4,554 jobs for its 24,897 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Commuting out is the norm in South Whittier: 2% of working residents work locally. The mean commuting time for South Whittier comes to 31 minutes. The top destinations are Los Angeles (13%), Santa Fe Springs (7%) and Anaheim (5%). 8.1% of workers work from home here.
| South Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.1% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $101,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In South Whittier, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
January nights average 46.7°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 85.5°.
Snow is a rarity. Its typical July afternoon high stands at 86°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
South Whittier ranks healthier than 57% of the country’s towns
Against the 8,478 U.S. towns with household incomes like South Whittier’s, it is less healthy than 64%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
70% of South Whittier adults had a checkup this year. This California town beats the California average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11.
| South Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 9% | 8.1% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | South Whittier | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.9% | 5.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 15.6% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
South Whittier keeps 2.2% of its land conserved
There are 1.7 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. In South Whittier, the trail network density is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| South Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Adventure Park | 0.8 mi | 15 |
| 2. Amelia Mayberry Park | 0.6 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes in South Whittier sell for about $830K
A home in South Whittier typically sold within 31 days of listing. The town’s typical rent comes in at $1,908 a month. Also worth knowing: 80% of the homes sold in South Whittier went for more than their asking price.
| South Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,908 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 54% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about South Whittier
Colleges nearby
46 within 15 miles of the center of South Whittier
About 8 of every 100 South Whittier residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
About South Whittier
Place in California, United States
South Whittier () is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, California, United States, just south of the city of Whittier. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined South Whittier as a census-designated place (CDP). As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 56,415, down from 57,156 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 177 ft
South Whittier’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with South Whittier.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Whittier | #267 | C+ | D− | — | B+ | B |
| Santa Fe Springs | #596 | D | D− | D− | B+ | B− |
| Whittier | #383 | C | D− | C− | B+ | B+ |
| La Mirada | #219 | B− | D− | C+ | B | A− |
South Whittier reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare South Whittier with a neighbor →
Questions about South Whittier
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Whittier, CA a good place to live?
South Whittier grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #267 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is South Whittier, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $708,000, 7% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.