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Moving to
Lake Arrowhead.
Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino 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 Lake Arrowhead
Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community in California with household incomes running above the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lake Arrowhead deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, and long average commutes.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Long commutes
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
How Lake Arrowhead compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lake Arrowhead
Based on Lake Arrowhead's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,750
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $75,000 a year
- 57% of Lake Arrowhead renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$119,300
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $59,650
- Homes cost 6.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 33% above US
$1,875/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,875 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $596,500. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $596,500 · 57% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in San Bernardino County is 5.4%, 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.
San Bernardino County (county-wide)
Safety
444 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Lake Arrowhead doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the San Bernardino 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 1113/100k · Policed by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 42% above US
37 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 37 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; 21% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 29°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
38% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 38% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 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 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lake Arrowhead's strongest point is household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,875/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget, anyone moving without a job lined up, and people who dread long commutes.
See all the data for Lake Arrowhead →·All California cities →
Other places near Lake Arrowhead
All California guides →Moving to Crestline →
5 mi away · pop. 9,835
Rent $1,538/mo · Income $77,786
Compare with Lake Arrowhead →Moving to San Bernardino →
9 mi away · pop. 222,724
Rent $1,508/mo · Income $67,415
Compare with Lake Arrowhead →Moving to Highland →
10 mi away · pop. 56,675
Rent $1,629/mo · Income $77,120
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