Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 55/100
C−
Median home value$937,000
Los Angeles $871,300
Median rent$2,672/mo
Los Angeles $2,063/mo
Cost-burdened households39%
Los Angeles 46%
Lake Forest
Orange County86,281 residentsSaddleback Valley Unified
67
C+
Suburbgrade score
7th of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
67
Los Angeles median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Lake Forest yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 67 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 Lake Forest is like to live in, by category
Bars show Lake Forest against Los Angeles. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 67/100
C+
Within-state proficiency83rd pct
Los Angeles median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio23.0
Los Angeles median 22.9
Graduation rate93%
Los Angeles median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Housing cost index110
Los Angeles 100
Eff. tax rate0.59%
Los Angeles 0.66%
Local sales tax7.75%
Los Angeles median 10.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Mean commute25.5 min
Los Angeles 29.5 min
Under 30 minutes63%
Los Angeles 54%
Transit stops / sq mi11
Los Angeles median 11 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 84/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés118
Los Angeles median 92 · within 2 miles
Groceries9
Los Angeles median 9 · within 2 miles
Parks127
Los Angeles median 47 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 66/100
C+
Median household income$135,175
Los Angeles $95,958
Unemployment4.9%
Los Angeles 6.8%
Professional occupations53%
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 Lake Forest 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 Lake Forest on housing & affordability
Lake Forest's weakest grade is C−. Five suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Newport Beach11 mi from Lake ForestB− 72 B− Yorba Linda17 mi from Lake ForestC+ 60 C San Clemente15 mi from Lake ForestC 66 C+ Mission Viejo3 mi from Lake ForestC 67 C+ Laguna Niguel9 mi from Lake ForestC 66 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Lake Forest
Is Lake Forest, CA a good place to live?
Lake Forest scores 67 out of 100, 7th 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 Lake Forest expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $937,000, 8% above the Los Angeles median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.59%. $2,672/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Lake Forest?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving Lake Forest sit at the 83rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 23.0 student–teacher ratio. Lake Forest is served by Saddleback Valley Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Lake Forest?
The mean commute is 25.5 min, with 63% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 24% working from home. Transit density is 11 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Lake Forest?
Within two miles there are 9 groceries, 118 restaurants and cafés and 127 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Lake Forest old or new?
The median home in Lake Forest was built in 1984 — newer 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. 72% 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 Lake Forest
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