Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Torrance is a city of 138,391, and it grades B− overall, 220th among California's 841 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country and its public schools beat 87% of California towns on state tests and graduation. The trade-offs: the typical home is worth about $1.1 million, 11.5 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Torrance’s July high is 76°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Torrance is home to Homestead Schools.
Where Torrance beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Torrance is from typical.
Its grades run from A for health (better than 92% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 7,271 in 1930, 147,067 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1913 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Torrance. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw8 mi MuseumUSS Iowa
Big draw19 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw13 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw25 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumSoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · USS Iowa: PH1 Jeff Hilton, Public domain · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Torrance, 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 Torrance.
Torrance has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has less no health insurance than most of California, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 5.2% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide.
20% of Torrance adults have obesity. Torrance beats the California average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 13% of Torrance adults report frequent mental distress.
| Torrance | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 22% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Torrance | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.5% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 7% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.1M.
Its public schools are run by the Torrance Unified school district. Two of its 50 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victor ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 965 | D− |
| Torrance HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,879 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Since 1995, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Torrance.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 11.5 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $1.1M) costs more against local pay than in 84% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
Torrance’s median rent is $2,280 a month. The typical Torrance home is worth about $1,100,000, up 1.9% in a year, 44% above the California typical home. 55% of households own their home in Torrance.
| Torrance | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,280 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 55% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The property crime rate in Torrance is 26.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Torrance | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 48.9°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 75.5°.
Torrance has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Torrance for work: only 18% work in town. The top destinations are Los Angeles (22%), El Segundo (6%) and Redondo Beach (4%). Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Torrance | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $116,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
11 miles of trail in 30 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Columbia Park, 55 acres with 1 miles of trail.
| Torrance | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve | 1.6 mi | 44 |
| 2. Columbia Park | 1 mi | 55 |
| 3. Entradero Park | 1 mi | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
23 within 15 miles of the center of Torrance
About 6 of every 100 Torrance residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
6 places in Torrance on the National Register of Historic Places.
42 notable people were born in Torrance.
City in Los Angeles County, California, US
Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, founded in 1912, neighboring Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills Estates, Palos Verdes Estates, Lomita, Gardena, Lawndale, and Alondra Park, as well as the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Harbor City and Harbor Gateway. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region. Torrance has a moderate year-round climate with average rainfall of 12 inches (300 mm) per year. Torrance has one and a half miles (2.4 km) of beachfront abutting Santa Monica Bay and 30 parks. It is the birthplace of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). The population was 147,067 at the 2020 census,…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Torrance.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torrance | #220 | B− | D− | C− | A | A |
| Redondo Beach | #151 | B | D− | C− | A | A+ |
| Rolling Hills Estates | #107 | B+ | D− | C+ | A+ | A+ |
| Lomita | #458 | C− | D− | C− | B− | B+ |
| Lawndale | #610 | D | D− | D | B | C+ |
| Los Angeles | #613 | D | D− | D | B− | B− |
| Gardena | #585 | D | D− | D | B− | B |
| Palos Verdes Estates | #24 | A− | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Torrance grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #220 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, C− 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−.
42 notable people were born here, including Michelle Kwan and Daryl Sabara.
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