West CarsonCA
A town of 22,143.
What should you know before moving to West Carson?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Overall it grades C+, 292nd among California's 841 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 84% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $690K for a typical one and 7.2 times the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. West Carson’s July high is 78°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
What makes West Carson stand out
Where West Carson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | West Carson | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.3% | 7.3% |
97% of working residents leave West Carson for work
Where West Carson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How West Carson grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far West Carson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
SoFi Stadium and 234 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Carson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw6 mi MuseumUSS Iowa
Big draw19 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw22 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw13 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumPhoto credits
SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · USS Iowa: PH1 Jeff Hilton, Public domain · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Moving to West Carson: who provides what
West Carson 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 West Carson.
Very high risk in West Carson, with earthquakes at the top
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
On state tests, West Carson’s schools beat 50% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Los Angeles Unified school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meyler Street ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 603 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Most of West Carson’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave West Carson for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, West Carson has added 335 jobs, to 5,144 in 2023. The top destinations are Los Angeles (25%), Torrance (13%) and Long Beach (5%).
| West Carson | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $93,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.7% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer of West Carson’s adults have been diagnosed with depression than in the typical California or U.S. town
16% of West Carson adults have been diagnosed with depression. West Carson beats the California average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 22% of West Carson adults have obesity.
| West Carson | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 22% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | West Carson | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.3% | 7.3% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.3% | 10.6% |
| More adults with diabetes | 13.3% | 11.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Older than California overall
People 65 and older are 25% of residents (16% statewide); children under 18 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). 17% of residents are under 18 in West Carson. 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| West Carson | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.2 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| West Carson | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.4% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.5% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.6% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.9% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.7% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.2% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Mild winters and pleasant summers in West Carson
January nights average 48.1°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 77.6°.
West Carson has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. West Carson’s January low is 48°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1% of West Carson is conserved land
0.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in West Carson is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| West Carson | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wishing Tree Park | 0.6 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes in West Carson sell for about $655K
The median sale price was $655,000 in May 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about West Carson
Colleges nearby
24 within 15 miles of the center of West Carson
About 6 of every 100 West Carson residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About West Carson
Unincorporated community in California, United States
West Carson is an unincorporated community in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 22,870 at the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined West Carson as a census-designated place (CDP).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 43 ft
- Area code
- 323
West Carson’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with West Carson.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Carson | #292 | C+ | D | — | B− | B+ |
| Los Angeles | #613 | D | D− | D | B− | B− |
| Carson | #530 | C− | D | D | B− | B |
West Carson reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare West Carson with a neighbor →
Questions about West Carson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is West Carson, CA a good place to live?
West Carson grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #292 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is West Carson, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $690,000, 9% 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.