What it's like to live in La Cañada Flintridge

La Cañada Flintridge is a small city in California with household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. La Cañada Flintridge deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, and commute times longer than most cities.

The good

  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Highly educated workforce

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Above-average unemployment in the county
  • Above-average commute times
  • Air quality concerns
  • Shrinking population

How La Cañada Flintridge compares

Median household income

La Cañada Flintridge$241,875
California avg$99,122
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

La Cañada Flintridge$2,873
California avg$2,036
US$1,413

Median home value

La Cañada Flintridge$2,000,000+
California avg$734,700
US$332,700

The Census tops out at $2,000,000+ for home value; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.

What it takes to move to La Cañada Flintridge

Based on La Cañada Flintridge's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$5,746

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

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $114,920 a year
  • 45% of La Cañada Flintridge renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$400,000

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $200,000
  • Homes cost 8.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 103% above US

$2,873/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,873 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 $2,000,000+. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $2,000,000+ · 45% 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

La Cañada Flintridge 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▲ 13% above US

30 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 29.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 30% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
59%
Work from home
30%
Carpool
7.5%
Other
2.3%
Walk
0.9%
Public transit
0.7%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 88°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 45°F.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
30°50°70°90°5.5"Jan: 4.51" precipitationFeb: 5.16" precipitationMar: 3.03" precipitationApr: 1.11" precipitationMay: 0.48" precipitationJun: 0.21" precipitationJul: 0.06" precipitationAug: 0.03" precipitationSep: 0.22" precipitationOct: 0.84" precipitationNov: 1.10" precipitationDec: 3.33" precipitationJJan: high 68°F, low 46°FFFeb: high 69°F, low 46°FMMar: high 73°F, low 48°FAApr: high 76°F, low 51°FMMay: high 78°F, low 54°FJJun: high 84°F, low 58°FJJul: high 89°F, low 62°F91°AAug: high 91°F, low 63°FSSep: high 90°F, low 62°FOOct: high 83°F, low 56°FNNov: high 75°F, low 50°F45°DDec: high 67°F, low 45°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 109% above US

75% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 8 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 24:1, above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (34 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

La Cañada Flintridge's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,873/mo) equals 14% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (30% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone moving without a job lined up.

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