What it's like to live in Lompoc
Lompoc is a small city in California. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lompoc deals with home prices well above the national average, crime rates above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The not so good
- High home prices
- Crime above national average
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Lompoc compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lompoc
Based on Lompoc's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,178
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $63,560 a year
- 52% of Lompoc renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$94,580
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $47,290
- Homes cost 6.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 12% above US
$1,589/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,589 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 $472,900. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $472,900 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 23% above US
5.3% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.3%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 22% above US
403 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1068/100k · Lompoc Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 72°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 43°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 1.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 62% below US
14% 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
12 public schools inside the boundary
There are 12 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 21:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Channel Islands National Park (57 miles away).
Bottom line
Nothing in Lompoc's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,589/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. Whether it fits comes down to the specifics: the neighborhood, the job, and what matters most in the move.
Other places near Lompoc
All California guides →Moving to Santa Maria →
19 mi away · pop. 110,462
Rent $1,925/mo · Income $84,746
Compare with Lompoc →Moving to Arroyo Grande →
33 mi away · pop. 18,372
Rent $2,173/mo · Income $102,553
Compare with Lompoc →Not sure Lompoc is the one?
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