What it's like to live in Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos 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. Los Alamitos 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
- Highly educated workforce
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 Los Alamitos compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Los Alamitos
Based on Los Alamitos's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,730
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $94,600 a year
- 61% of Los Alamitos renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$212,380
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $106,190
- Homes cost 10.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 67% above US
$2,365/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,365 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 $1,061,900. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $1,061,900 · 61% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in Orange County is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Orange County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 23% below US
253 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1610/100k · Los Alamitos Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 20% above US
31 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 31.3 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 warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 47°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▲ 23% above US
44% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 44% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 26:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (46 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Los Alamitos'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 ($2,365/mo) equals 29% 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) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
Other places near Los Alamitos
All California guides →Moving to Rossmoor →
1 mi away · pop. 11,532
Rent $3,500+/mo · Income $211,597
Compare with Los Alamitos →Moving to Cypress →
2 mi away · pop. 49,498
Rent $2,483/mo · Income $130,215
Compare with Los Alamitos →Moving to Hawaiian Gardens →
2 mi away · pop. 13,691
Rent $1,696/mo · Income $76,341
Compare with Los Alamitos →Moving to Seal Beach →
3 mi away · pop. 24,722
Rent $2,649/mo · Income $85,964
Compare with Los Alamitos →Not sure Los Alamitos is the one?
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