What it's like to live in Chino
Chino is a smaller city in California with household incomes running above the national average and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Chino deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Chino compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Chino
Based on Chino's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,672
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $93,440 a year
- 61% of Chino renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$136,680
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $68,340
- Homes cost 6.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 65% above US
$2,336/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,336 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $683,400. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $683,400 · 61% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.7%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
SafetyNear US average
324 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2032/100k · Chino Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 27% above US
33 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 33.1 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 42°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 4.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 24% below US
27% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 27%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
14 public schools inside the boundary
There are 14 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (26 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Chino's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a growing population; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,336/mo) equals 27% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (15% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget, people who dread long commutes, and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Chino
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