Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 57/100
C−
Median home value$1,034,800
San Diego $854,700
Median rent$2,301/mo
San Diego $2,246/mo
Cost-burdened households33%
San Diego 44%
Poway
San Diego County48,713 residentsPoway Unified
59
C
Suburbgrade score
7th of 30 San Diego suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by amenities.
59
San Diego median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Poway yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 59 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 Poway is like to live in, by category
Bars show Poway against San Diego. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 72/100
B−
Within-state proficiency93rd pct
San Diego median 60th pct
Student–teacher ratio22.4
San Diego median 22.6
Graduation rate95%
San Diego median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 65/100
C+
Housing cost index107
San Diego 100
Eff. tax rate0.65%
San Diego 0.67%
Local sales tax7.75%
San Diego median 7.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 63/100
C+
Mean commute25.3 min
San Diego 25.5 min
Under 30 minutes58%
San Diego 64%
Transit stops / sq mi1.8
San Diego median 4.2 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 32/100
F
Restaurants & cafés13
San Diego median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries1
San Diego median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks16
San Diego median 23 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 62/100
C
Median household income$148,359
San Diego $106,268
Unemployment5.2%
San Diego 6.1%
Professional occupations62%
San Diego 48%
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 Poway 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 Poway on amenities
Poway's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Encinitas15 mi from PowayA− 72 B− Escondido10 mi from PowayA− 55 C− San Diego12 mi from PowayB+ 63 C+ La Mesa15 mi from PowayB+ 58 C National City23 mi from PowayB+ 52 D+ El Cajon13 mi from PowayB+ 50 D+ Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Poway
Is Poway, CA a good place to live?
Poway scores 59 out of 100, 7th of 30 San Diego suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Poway expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $1,034,800, 21% above the San Diego median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.65%. $2,301/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Poway?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Poway sit at the 93rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 22.4 student–teacher ratio. Poway is served by Poway Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Poway?
The mean commute is 25.3 min, with 58% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 24% working from home. Transit density is 1.8 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Poway?
Within two miles there are 1 groceries, 13 restaurants and cafés and 16 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Poway old or new?
The median home in Poway was built in 1978 — close to the San Diego median of 1980. 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.