Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 27/100
F
Median home value$471,000
Los Angeles $871,300
Median rent$1,802/mo
Los Angeles $2,063/mo
Cost-burdened households47%
Los Angeles 46%
Palmdale
Los Angeles County164,634 residents5 school districts
36
F
Suburbgrade score
60th of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by commute & transport.
36
Los Angeles median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Palmdale yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 36 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 Palmdale is like to live in, by category
Bars show Palmdale against Los Angeles. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 32/100
F
Within-state proficiency32nd pct
Los Angeles median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio23.0
Los Angeles median 22.9
Graduation rate83%
Los Angeles median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 66/100
C+
Housing cost index78
Los Angeles 100
Eff. tax rate0.94%
Los Angeles 0.66%
Local sales tax11.25%
Los Angeles median 10.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 17/100
F
Mean commute39.9 min
Los Angeles 29.5 min
Under 30 minutes51%
Los Angeles 54%
Transit stops / sq mi1.0
Los Angeles median 11 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 52/100
D+
Restaurants & cafés30
Los Angeles median 92 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Los Angeles median 9 · within 2 miles
Parks17
Los Angeles median 47 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 30/100
F
Median household income$81,770
Los Angeles $95,958
Unemployment8.3%
Los Angeles 6.8%
Professional occupations30%
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 Palmdale 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 Palmdale on commute & transport
Palmdale's weakest grade is F. One suburb is within 25 miles and scores higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Lancaster8 mi from PalmdaleD 43 D Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Palmdale
Is Palmdale, CA a good place to live?
Palmdale scores 36 out of 100, 60th of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Palmdale expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $471,000, 46% below the Los Angeles median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.94%. $1,802/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Palmdale?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Palmdale sit at the 32nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 83% graduation rate and a 23.0 student–teacher ratio. Palmdale is served by Antelope Valley Union High, Palmdale Elementary, Westside Union Elementary School District, Eastside Union Elementary School District and Keppel Union Elementary School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Palmdale?
The mean commute is 39.9 min, with 51% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 9.1% working from home. Transit density is 1.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Palmdale?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 30 restaurants and cafés and 17 parks, which grades D+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Palmdale old or new?
The median home in Palmdale was built in 1989 — 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. 80% 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 Palmdale
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