Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 85,815, settled in 1887.
The typical home is worth about $815K, 8.5 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Overall it grades C, 383rd of 841 graded towns in California. It has 16 miles of trail and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. 23% of the land in Whittier is conserved, above both California’s towns (4.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Whittier is home to Whittier College. Whittier's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Whittier beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 585 in 1890, 87,306 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Whittier is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Whittier. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw21 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw16 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw9 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumDisneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Whittier, 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 Whittier.
Whittier has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
Since 1979, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Whittier.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Three of its 25 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Whittier MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 985 | – |
| La Serna HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,372 | A− |
| Whittier HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,652 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 2,263 to 2,000 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 19.6 per 1,000 residents, Whittier’s property crime rate is where California’s towns sit at 13.3 and U.S. towns at 9.9. The violent crime rate in Whittier is 3.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.6 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
16 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Puente Hills Preserve, 1,693 acres with 7.5 miles of trail. Whittier’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Puente Hills Preserve | 7.5 mi | 1,693 |
| 2. Murphy Ranch Park | 0.6 mi | 19 |
| 3. Pío Pico State Historic Park | 0.5 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Whittier for work: only 8% work in town. Since 2013, Whittier has added 3,347 jobs, to 27,098 in 2023. The top destinations are Los Angeles (16%), Santa Fe Springs (4%) and Anaheim (4%).
| Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Whittier beats the California average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 40% of adults feel lonely in Whittier.
| Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Whittier | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.5% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.1% | 5.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 13.1% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 47.1°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 86.4°.
Whittier has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 47°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 86°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the California average. Whittier has lost 3.5% of its people since 2020, down to 85,815 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 15% of Whittier residents are 65 or older.
| Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.4 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.2, men 37.4.
| Whittier | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.5% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.5% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.7% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.1% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Whittier home is worth about $815,000, up 1.6% in a year, 7% above the California typical home.
| Whittier | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,906 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 60% | 55% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
55 within 15 miles of the center of Whittier
About 9 of every 100 Whittier residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
2 colleges in town.
6 places in Whittier on the National Register of Historic Places.
50 notable people were born in Whittier.
City in California, United States
Whittier () is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Part of the Gateway Cities, the 14.7-square-mile (38.0 km2) city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census. Whittier was incorporated in February 1898 and became a charter city in 1955. The city is named for the Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier and is home to Whittier College. The city is surrounded by four unincorporated areas sharing the Whittier name, West Whittier-Los Nietos, North Whittier, South Whittier, and East Whittier, which combined are home to a larger population than Whittier proper.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Whittier.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whittier | #383 | C | D− | C− | B+ | B+ |
| West Whittier-Los Nietos | #297 | C+ | D | — | B | B− |
| La Habra Heights | #41 | A− | C− | B | A− | A |
| South Whittier | #267 | C+ | D− | — | B+ | B |
| Pico Rivera | #517 | C− | D | C− | B | C+ |
| East Whittier | #90 | B+ | D | — | A− | A− |
| Santa Fe Springs | #596 | D | D− | D− | B+ | B− |
| Hacienda Heights | #216 | B− | D− | — | B+ | B+ |
West Whittier-Los Nietos, South Whittier, East Whittier and Hacienda Heights report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Whittier with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Whittier grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #383 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health, C− 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−.
50 notable people were born here, including Fergie and Eric Stoltz.
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