Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The typical home is worth about $1.1 million, 11.9 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Overall it grades C+, ranked 255th of 841 in California. Its public schools beat 81% of California towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Tustin’s typical home value is $1,146,000, above both the California town median ($709,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($332,000). Tustin has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Lighter-than-Air Ship Hangars and Artz Building. Tustin is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns.
Where Tustin beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Sycamore Magnet Academy | K–8 | 1,085 |
| Heritage Elementary | K–5 | 567 |
| Tustin Ranch Elementary | K–5 | 520 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Tustin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 227 in 1880, 80,276 in 2020. The archive holds 19 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tustin. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw13 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw40 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw27 mi MuseumUSS IowaDisneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Angel Stadium of Anaheim: Staff Sgt. Chad McMeen, Public domain · USS Iowa: PH1 Jeff Hilton, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tustin, 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 Tustin.
Tustin has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
20 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. The trail density in Tustin is 1.8 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Peters Canyon Regional Park, 173 acres with 4 miles of trail.
| Tustin | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Peters Canyon Regional Park | 4 mi | 173 |
| 2. Veterans Sports Park | 1.5 mi | 32 |
| 3. Tustin Legacy Park | 1.4 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.15M.
Its public schools are run by the Tustin Unified school district. Three of its 23 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sycamore Magnet AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 1,085 | A |
| Tustin HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,627 | B |
| Occs:chep/PCHSTop results in townGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 290 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
At 11.9 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $1.15M) costs more against local pay than in 85% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Home values rose 40% in five years, to about $1.15M, against 13% across California.
Tustin’s median rent is $2,449 a month. The typical Tustin home is worth about $1,146,000, about the same as a year ago, 50% above the California typical home. 49% of Tustin households own their home.
| Tustin | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,449 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 49% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 62% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Tustin since 1998.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,784 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tustin’s, it is healthier than 56%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
24% of adults have obesity in Tustin. Tustin beats the California average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 26% of adults have high blood pressure in Tustin.
| Tustin | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Tustin | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.9% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 1,923 to 1,653 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 53% of towns.
| Tustin | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 46.8°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 83.9°.
Tustin has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Tustin | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 47°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 84°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 35,555 in 2013 to 51,031.
Most working residents leave Tustin for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Tustin grew to 51,031 in 2023, 15,476 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Irvine (17%), Santa Ana (9%) and Los Angeles (6%).
| Tustin | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 19% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $113,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
34 within 15 miles of the center of Tustin
About 9 of every 100 Tustin residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
4 places in Tustin on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Tustin.
City in California, United States
Tustin is a city in Orange County, California, United States, within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Tustin.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tustin | #255 | C+ | D− | C | A− | A− |
| North Tustin | #72 | B+ | D− | — | A− | A |
| Santa Ana | #599 | D | D− | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Irvine | #74 | B+ | D− | B− | A | A+ |
| Orange | #235 | B− | D− | C+ | B+ | A− |
North Tustin reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Tustin with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tustin grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #255 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−.
Within California, it does better than 53% of towns.
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−.
8 notable people were born here, including Julie Sweet and Samwise Didier.
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