Valley Center, CA vs Carlsbad, CA

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricValley Center, CACarlsbad, CA
Population11,119114,373
Median Household Income$132,361$142,748
Median Rent—$2,808/mo
Median Home Value$883,700$1,257,000
Cost of Living (US = 100)112112
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income14.8%54.5%
Poverty Rate6.7%6.9%
Unemployment Rate4.6% (county)4.3%
Violent Crime Rate /100k167*212
Property Crime Rate /100k315*1,118
Median AQI6767
Good AQI Days /yr6464
Summer Highs89°F73°F
Winter Lows38°F48°F
Snowfall0 in/yr0 in/yr
Avg Commute37.6 min27.1 min
Hospitals——
Avg Hospital Rating——
Students per Teacher22.122.8
College Degree Rate38.4%62.1%
Foreign-Born %22.1%14.1%
Population Growth (2020–2025)-7.0%-2.2%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.
* Rate of the agency that polices Valley Center (the city has no police department of its own), so it isn’t scored.