Moving to
Rancho Mission Viejo.

All Rancho Mission Viejo data Compare Rancho Mission Viejo

11,971people live here $192,813median household income▲ 139% above US $3,500+median rent per monthCensus top category $1,110,100median home value▲ 234% above US

The Census tops out at $3,500+ for rent; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.

Rancho Mission Viejo is an unincorporated community in Orange 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 Rancho Mission Viejo

Rancho Mission Viejo is an unincorporated community 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. Rancho Mission Viejo 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 Rancho Mission Viejo compares

Median household income

Rancho Mission Viejo$192,813

California avg$99,122

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Rancho Mission Viejo$3,500+

California avg$2,036

US$1,413

The Census tops out at $3,500+ for rent; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.

Median home value

Rancho Mission Viejo$1,110,100

California avg$734,700

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Rancho Mission Viejo

Based on Rancho Mission Viejo's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$7,002

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $140,040 a year
56% of Rancho Mission Viejo renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$222,020

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $111,010
Homes cost 5.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingCensus top category

$3,500+/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $3,500+ 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 $1,110,100. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,110,100 · 56% 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

290 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

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

Property crime 576/100k · Policed by Orange County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 12% above US

29 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 29 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 36% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

55%

Work from home

36%

Carpool

8.9%

Other

0.3%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 44°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 75% above US

63% 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

2 public schools inside the boundary

There are 2 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 23:1, above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (32 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Rancho Mission Viejo'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. It tends to suit remote workers (36% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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