Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 36/100
F
Median home value$796,600
Los Angeles $871,300
Median rent$1,937/mo
Los Angeles $2,063/mo
Cost-burdened households45%
Los Angeles 46%
Downey
Los Angeles County110,939 residentsDowney Unified
55
C−
Suburbgrade score
32nd of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
55
Los Angeles median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Downey yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 55 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Downey is like to live in, by category
Bars show Downey against Los Angeles. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 56/100
C−
Within-state proficiency59th pct
Los Angeles median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio23.9
Los Angeles median 22.9
Graduation rate96%
Los Angeles median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Housing cost index92
Los Angeles 100
Eff. tax rate0.67%
Los Angeles 0.66%
Local sales tax10.50%
Los Angeles median 10.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 42/100
D−
Mean commute31.0 min
Los Angeles 29.5 min
Under 30 minutes52%
Los Angeles 54%
Transit stops / sq mi12
Los Angeles median 11 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 83/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés124
Los Angeles median 92 · within 2 miles
Groceries11
Los Angeles median 9 · within 2 miles
Parks60
Los Angeles median 47 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 47/100
D
Median household income$90,699
Los Angeles $95,958
Unemployment5.8%
Los Angeles 6.8%
Professional occupations34%
Los Angeles 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Downey yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Downey on housing & affordability
Downey's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Yorba Linda21 mi from DowneyC+ 60 C Redondo Beach17 mi from DowneyC 69 B− Fountain Valley19 mi from DowneyC− 64 C+ Santa Monica22 mi from DowneyC− 71 B− Diamond Bar18 mi from DowneyC− 56 C− Arcadia14 mi from DowneyC− 64 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Downey
Is Downey, CA a good place to live?
Downey scores 55 out of 100, 32nd of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Downey expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $796,600, 9% below the Los Angeles median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.67%. $1,937/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Downey?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Downey sit at the 59th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 96% graduation rate and a 23.9 student–teacher ratio. Downey is served by Downey Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Downey?
The mean commute is 31.0 min, with 52% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 9.2% working from home. Transit density is 12 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Downey?
Within two miles there are 11 groceries, 124 restaurants and cafés and 60 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Downey old or new?
The median home in Downey was built in 1959 — older than the Los Angeles median of 1969. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 63% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six Los Angeles lists
Best Los Angeles suburbs for familiesMost affordable Los Angeles suburbsBest Los Angeles suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown Los AngelesMost walkable Los Angeles suburbsBest Los Angeles suburbs for young professionalsCompare Downey
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