Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 44/100
D
Median home value$1,093,300
Los Angeles $871,300
Median rent$2,265/mo
Los Angeles $2,063/mo
Cost-burdened households46%
Los Angeles 46%
Pasadena
Los Angeles County136,969 residentsPasadena Unified
62
C
Suburbgrade score
19th of 60 Los Angeles suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
62
Los Angeles median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Pasadena yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 62 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 Pasadena is like to live in, by category
Bars show Pasadena against Los Angeles. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 53/100
C−
Within-state proficiency61st pct
Los Angeles median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio20.9
Los Angeles median 22.9
Graduation rate86%
Los Angeles median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Housing cost index111
Los Angeles 100
Eff. tax rate0.60%
Los Angeles 0.66%
Local sales tax10.50%
Los Angeles median 10.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 69/100
B−
Mean commute26.9 min
Los Angeles 29.5 min
Under 30 minutes60%
Los Angeles 54%
Transit stops / sq mi14
Los Angeles median 11 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 94/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés354
Los Angeles median 92 · within 2 miles
Groceries17
Los Angeles median 9 · within 2 miles
Parks40
Los Angeles median 47 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 57/100
C−
Median household income$105,192
Los Angeles $95,958
Unemployment5.6%
Los Angeles 6.8%
Professional occupations59%
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 Pasadena 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 Pasadena on housing & affordability
Pasadena's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Santa Monica23 mi from PasadenaC− 71 B− Diamond Bar21 mi from PasadenaC− 56 C− Arcadia6 mi from PasadenaC− 64 C+ Hacienda Heights15 mi from PasadenaD+ 52 D+ Lakewood22 mi from PasadenaD+ 61 C Carson23 mi from PasadenaD 54 C− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Pasadena
Is Pasadena, CA a good place to live?
Pasadena scores 62 out of 100, 19th 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 Pasadena expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $1,093,300, 25% above the Los Angeles median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.60%. $2,265/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Pasadena?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Pasadena sit at the 61st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 86% graduation rate and a 20.9 student–teacher ratio. Pasadena is served by Pasadena Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Pasadena?
The mean commute is 26.9 min, with 60% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 28% working from home. Transit density is 14 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Pasadena?
Within two miles there are 17 groceries, 354 restaurants and cafés and 40 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Pasadena old or new?
The median home in Pasadena was built in 1961 — 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. 49% 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 Pasadena
Every Los Angeles suburb, side by side