Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 49/100
D+
Median home value$586,800
Riverside $536,300
Median rent$1,839/mo
Riverside $1,846/mo
Cost-burdened households39%
Riverside 41%
Fontana
San Bernardino County214,169 residents4 school districts
53
C−
Suburbgrade score
13th of 60 Riverside suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by commute & transport.
53
Riverside median 47
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Fontana yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 53 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 Fontana is like to live in, by category
Bars show Fontana against Riverside. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 45/100
D
Within-state proficiency37th pct
Riverside median 36th pct
Student–teacher ratio22.5
Riverside median 22.9
Graduation rate91%
Riverside median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index103
Riverside 100
Eff. tax rate0.89%
Riverside 0.79%
Local sales tax8.75%
Riverside median 8.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 40/100
D−
Mean commute33.4 min
Riverside 33.2 min
Under 30 minutes55%
Riverside 53%
Transit stops / sq mi8.0
Riverside median 1.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Restaurants & cafés56
Riverside median 23 · within 2 miles
Groceries8
Riverside median 3 · within 2 miles
Parks64
Riverside median 19 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 47/100
D
Median household income$102,821
Riverside $89,662
Unemployment6.5%
Riverside 6.8%
Professional occupations30%
Riverside 33%
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 Fontana 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 Fontana on commute & transport
Fontana's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Loma Linda13 mi from FontanaB 59 C Redlands17 mi from FontanaC+ 62 C Grand Terrace10 mi from FontanaC 50 D+ Colton9 mi from FontanaD+ 47 D Riverside13 mi from FontanaD 54 C− San Bernardino10 mi from FontanaD 46 D Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Fontana
Is Fontana, CA a good place to live?
Fontana scores 53 out of 100, 13th of 60 Riverside suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Fontana expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $586,800, 9% above the Riverside median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.89%. $1,839/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Fontana?
Schools grade D. The districts serving Fontana sit at the 37th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 91% graduation rate and a 22.5 student–teacher ratio. Fontana is served by Fontana Unified, Chaffey Joint Union High School District, Etiwanda Elementary and Colton Joint Unified School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Fontana?
The mean commute is 33.4 min, with 55% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 13% working from home. Transit density is 8.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Fontana?
Within two miles there are 8 groceries, 56 restaurants and cafés and 64 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Fontana old or new?
The median home in Fontana was built in 1989 — close to the Riverside median of 1987. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 81% 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.