Taricha torosa, 2007
Trabuco Canyon’s story
88 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
- 1938Trabuco Canyon is settled
Trabuco CanyonCA
Settled in 1938, this town now has 1,326 residents.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Don Ramey Logan · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,326
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$1.3M
Census ACS
Household income
$229K
median
Median age
50.8
years
Jobs based here
360
Balanced
Is Trabuco Canyon a good place to live?
Trabuco Canyon’s best subject grades are an A for incomes and an A− for health and schools; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. 65% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Trabuco Canyon, against 29% in California’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Only 15 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. Trabuco Canyon’s concentration of trails is 2.2 miles per square mile, above both the California town median (1.0) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Cleveland National Forest, at 95 acres. Trabuco Canyon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Trabuco Canyon stand out
Where Trabuco Canyon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Small town
1,326 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
ModjeskaLake ForestRancho Santa MargaritaTrabuco Canyon
How Trabuco Canyon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Trabuco Canyon is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 100% of U.S. communities; wildfire tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $1.3M, 13.6 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household incomeDOpen →Jobs & incomeNear the top of the towns comparedAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.6 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →HealthMemorialcare Saddleback Medical Center 8.2 miles awayA−Open →SchoolsBeat 81% of California districts on tests and graduationA−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 270 attractions →Disneyland and 84 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Trabuco Canyon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw26 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw40 mi MuseumUSS Iowa
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw21 mi Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
19 mi Stadium & arenaHonda CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · USS Iowa: PH1 Jeff Hilton, 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
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Getting set up
Moving to Trabuco Canyon: who provides what
Trabuco Canyon is unincorporated, so Orange County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTrabuco Canyon Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers69% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesOrange CountyOrange County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereOrange County Registrar of VotersOrange County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes92678, 92676, 9267992678 59% · 92676 27% · 92679 14%Census 2020
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 Trabuco Canyon.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Trabuco Canyon is higher
Federal aid has come to Trabuco Canyon households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2017. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 64% come from wildfires and 17% from landslides. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
WildfireLandslidesInland flooding
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA−
On CDC estimates, Trabuco Canyon is healthier than four in five U.S. towns
Nearly a third of Trabuco Canyon adults feel lonely. This California town beats the California average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. In Trabuco Canyon, 9.4% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 19% get no exercise outside work.
84%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Trabuco Canyon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
32 measures vs. California
13 better18 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Trabuco Canyon | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.5% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.3% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.8% | 6.4% |
Memorialcare Saddleback Medical Center
8.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Trabuco Canyon, expect mild winters and hot summers
July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 48° and snow is almost unheard of.
89°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter48–66°
Spring50–71°
Summer61–86°
Fall58–79°
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
89°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsA
Trabuco Canyon has set aside 13.6% of its land for conservation
There are 16 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve.
13.6%conserved
13.6%
conserved · 629 of 4,645 acres
16 mi
of trails · 2.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cleveland National Forest | 0.8 mi | 95 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Most of Trabuco Canyon’s workers commute out: the town has 0.9 jobs for each of them
Just 2% of Trabuco Canyon’s working residents have a job in town. This California town had 360 jobs in 2023, up 164 from 2013. Also worth knowing: the typical household income for Trabuco Canyon comes to $229,000. The top destinations are Irvine (13%), Los Angeles (8%) and Orange (5%).
2%work in town
| Trabuco Canyon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $229,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Trabuco Canyon2%
Irvine13%
Los Angeles8%
Orange5%
Lake Forest5%
17 mi
median commute distance
360
jobs based in Trabuco Canyon
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 15% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade D
Trabuco Canyon stands out in California and nationally, with more of its households who live in a home they own
$719Kmedian sale price
2
homes sold in April
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Trabuco Canyon
18pages on Trabuco Canyon
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
11 within 15 miles of the center of Trabuco Canyon
Saddleback CollegeCommunity college · Public · Mission Viejo9.6 mi$1,156 in-state tuitionUniversity of Massachusetts GlobalUniversity or college · Public · Aliso Viejo10.1 mi$12,540 in-state tuitionIrvine Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · Irvine10.6 mi$1,156 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Trabuco Canyon residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Trabuco Canyon
Census-designated place in California, United States
Trabuco Canyon (Trabuco, Spanish for "Blunderbuss") is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California, and lies partly within the Cleveland National Forest. As of the 2020 census, Trabuco Canyon had a population of 1,020. Trabuco Canyon is north of the city of Rancho Santa Margarita. Plano Trabuco Road leads from the top of the canyon south to Rancho Santa Margarita.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 1,040 ft
- ZIP code
- 92678, 92679
Questions about Trabuco Canyon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Trabuco Canyon, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,304,000, 71% above 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.
What is Trabuco Canyon, CA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Max Tuerk and Mike Zupancic.