Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 34,231, settled in 1984.
Homes are expensive, about $982K for a typical one and 10.2 times the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Overall it grades C−, 494th of 841 graded towns in California. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country and few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Its weakest subject is safety: its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 263 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in West Hollywood, against 29% in California’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Only 15 of California’s 1,063 towns score higher on history. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where West Hollywood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where West Hollywood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far West Hollywood is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 28,870 in 1960, 35,757 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1916 and 7 maps from 1896 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Hollywood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw2 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw2 mi MuseumLa Brea Tar Pits
Big draw7 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw4 mi LandmarkHollywood Sign
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumHollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · La Brea Tar Pits: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Hollywood Sign: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Hollywood, 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 West Hollywood.
West Hollywood draws workers from Los Angeles and beyond and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
Property crime runs at 47.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the California rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 2,427 to 1,886 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
West Hollywood’s property crime rate is 47.7 per 1,000 residents. West Hollywood reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less. West Hollywood’s violent crime rate is 7.7 per 1,000 residents.
| West Hollywood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 47.7 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Larchmont Charter, with 1,767 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Hollywood ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 313 | – |
| Larchmont CharterLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,767 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
29,259 jobs are based in West Hollywood, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 31.3% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave West Hollywood for work: only 8% work in town. 31% of West Hollywood workers work from home. Jobs based in West Hollywood grew to 29,259 in 2023, 5,084 more than in 2013.
| West Hollywood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 31% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 5.1% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide.
19% of adults binge drink in West Hollywood. West Hollywood beats the California average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 25% of adults have obesity in West Hollywood.
| West Hollywood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | West Hollywood | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.1% | 10.6% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.9% | 10.6% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.3% | 15.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1995, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Hollywood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 10.2 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $983K) costs more against local pay than in 78% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The typical value, about $983K, is 10% below its August 2022 peak.
The median rent in West Hollywood is $2,091 a month. The typical West Hollywood home is worth about $983,000, down 1.7% in a year, 29% above the California typical home.
| West Hollywood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 20% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,091 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 45% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 47.7°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 84.6°.
West Hollywood has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| West Hollywood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 48°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| West Hollywood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Plummer Park | 0.2 mi | 8 |
| 2. West Hollywood Park | — | 7 |
| 3. William S. Hart Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
67 within 15 miles of the center of West Hollywood
About 5 of every 100 West Hollywood residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
7 places in West Hollywood on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in West Hollywood.
City in California, United States
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip, and located between the cities of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. As of the 2020 U.S. census, its population was 35,757. Despite its name, West Hollywood has never been part of Hollywood or the City of Los Angeles.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with West Hollywood.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Hollywood | #494 | C− | D− | D− | B− | A |
| Beverly Hills | #261 | C+ | D− | D | A | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Hollywood grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #494 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, D− for safety and B− 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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Lukas Haas and Brandon Taylor.
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