Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 60/100
C
Median home value$1,009,600
Los Angeles $871,300
Median rent$2,839/mo
Los Angeles $2,063/mo
Cost-burdened households38%
Los Angeles 46%
Mission Viejo
Orange County92,151 residents2 school districts
67
C+
Suburbgrade score
6th of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by employment & income.
67
Los Angeles median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Mission Viejo 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 Mission Viejo is like to live in, by category
Bars show Mission Viejo against Los Angeles. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 72/100
B−
Within-state proficiency87th pct
Los Angeles median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio22.4
Los Angeles median 22.9
Graduation rate95%
Los Angeles median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 69/100
B−
Housing cost index112
Los Angeles 100
Eff. tax rate0.57%
Los Angeles 0.66%
Local sales tax7.75%
Los Angeles median 10.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 66/100
C+
Mean commute26.6 min
Los Angeles 29.5 min
Under 30 minutes62%
Los Angeles 54%
Transit stops / sq mi12
Los Angeles median 11 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 76/100
B
Restaurants & cafés72
Los Angeles median 92 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Los Angeles median 9 · within 2 miles
Parks84
Los Angeles median 47 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 60/100
C
Median household income$136,123
Los Angeles $95,958
Unemployment5.2%
Los Angeles 6.8%
Professional occupations54%
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 Mission Viejo 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 Mission Viejo on employment & income
Mission Viejo's weakest grade is C. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Aliso Viejo5 mi from Mission ViejoB 68 B− Newport Beach12 mi from Mission ViejoB− 72 B− Yorba Linda20 mi from Mission ViejoC+ 60 C Lake Forest3 mi from Mission ViejoC+ 67 C+ Costa Mesa15 mi from Mission ViejoC+ 70 B− San Clemente11 mi from Mission ViejoC+ 66 C+ Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Mission Viejo
Is Mission Viejo, CA a good place to live?
Mission Viejo scores 67 out of 100, 6th of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Mission Viejo expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $1,009,600, 16% above the Los Angeles median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.57%. $2,839/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Mission Viejo?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Mission Viejo sit at the 87th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 22.4 student–teacher ratio. Mission Viejo is served by Capistrano Unified and Saddleback Valley Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Mission Viejo?
The mean commute is 26.6 min, with 62% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 23% working from home. Transit density is 12 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Mission Viejo?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 72 restaurants and cafés and 84 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Mission Viejo old or new?
The median home in Mission Viejo was built in 1979 — 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. 84% 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 Mission Viejo
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