East Los Angeles is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, CA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in East Los Angeles

East Los Angeles is a large unincorporated community in California. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. East Los Angeles deals with home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.

The not so good

  • High home prices
  • Above-average unemployment in the county
  • Above-average commute times
  • Air quality concerns
  • Low college degree attainment
  • Shrinking population

How East Los Angeles compares

Median household income

East Los Angeles$68,741
California avg$99,122
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

East Los Angeles$1,494
California avg$2,036
US$1,413

Median home value

East Los Angeles$643,100
California avg$734,700
US$332,700

What it takes to move to East Los Angeles

Based on East Los Angeles's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,988

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $59,760 a year
  • 48% of East Los Angeles renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$128,620

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $64,310
  • Homes cost 9.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,494/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,494 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are steep, with a median around $643,100. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $643,100 · 48% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

5.7% county unemployment

Unemployment in Los Angeles County is 5.7%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Los Angeles County (county-wide)

Safety

632 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

East Los Angeles doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1648/100k · Policed by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 16% above US

30 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.2 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; 6% take public transit; 9% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
64%
Carpool
16%
Work from home
8.5%
Public transit
6.1%
Walk
3.1%
Other
3.1%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 85°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 46°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
30°50°70°90°4.5"Jan: 3.56" precipitationFeb: 4.22" precipitationMar: 2.53" precipitationApr: 0.61" precipitationMay: 0.48" precipitationJun: 0.13" precipitationJul: 0.04" precipitationAug: 0.00" precipitationSep: 0.13" precipitationOct: 0.61" precipitationNov: 0.92" precipitationDec: 2.44" precipitationJJan: high 69°F, low 46°FFFeb: high 68°F, low 47°FMMar: high 71°F, low 51°FAApr: high 74°F, low 53°FMMay: high 76°F, low 58°FJJun: high 81°F, low 62°FJJul: high 86°F, low 65°F88°AAug: high 88°F, low 66°FSSep: high 87°F, low 64°FOOct: high 81°F, low 57°FNNov: high 74°F, low 51°F45°DDec: high 68°F, low 45°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

2 hospitals

There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▼ 68% below US

11% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.

Schools

44 public schools inside the boundary

There are 44 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (35 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Nothing in East Los Angeles's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and county unemployment above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,494/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.

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