Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 47/100
D
Median home value$883,700
San Diego $854,700
Median rent$1,750/mo
San Diego $2,246/mo
Cost-burdened households42%
San Diego 44%
Valley Center
San Diego County11,119 residentsValley Center-Pauma Unified
40
D−
Suburbgrade score
30th of 30 San Diego suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by commute & transport.
40
San Diego median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Valley Center yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 40 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 Valley Center is like to live in, by category
Bars show Valley Center against San Diego. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 27/100
F
Within-state proficiency20th pct
San Diego median 60th pct
Student–teacher ratio22.3
San Diego median 22.6
Graduation rate88%
San Diego median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index117
San Diego 100
Eff. tax rate0.70%
San Diego 0.67%
Local sales tax7.75%
San Diego median 7.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 18/100
F
Mean commute37.6 min
San Diego 25.5 min
Under 30 minutes30%
San Diego 64%
Transit stops / sq mi0.6
San Diego median 4.2 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 23/100
F
Restaurants & cafés3
San Diego median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries0
San Diego median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks15
San Diego median 23 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 59/100
C
Median household income$132,361
San Diego $106,268
Unemployment3.7%
San Diego 6.1%
Professional occupations41%
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 Valley Center 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 Valley Center on commute & transport
Valley Center's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Solana Beach22 mi from Valley CenterA− 70 B− Encinitas19 mi from Valley CenterB 72 B− Carlsbad17 mi from Valley CenterC+ 65 C+ Poway17 mi from Valley CenterC+ 59 C San Marcos11 mi from Valley CenterC 61 C Vista13 mi from Valley CenterC− 55 C− Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Valley Center
Is Valley Center, CA a good place to live?
Valley Center scores 40 out of 100, 30th of 30 San Diego 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 Valley Center expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $883,700, 3% above the San Diego median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.70%. $1,750/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Valley Center?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Valley Center sit at the 20th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 22.3 student–teacher ratio. Valley Center is served by Valley Center-Pauma Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Valley Center?
The mean commute is 37.6 min, with 30% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 18% working from home. Transit density is 0.6 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Valley Center?
Within two miles there are 0 groceries, 3 restaurants and cafés and 15 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Valley Center old or new?
The median home in Valley Center was built in 1988 — newer than 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. 89% 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.