Moving to
Signal Hill.

All Signal Hill data Compare Signal Hill

11,468people live here $113,298median household income▲ 40% above US $1,851median rent per month▲ 31% above US $783,300median home value▲ 135% above US

What it's like to live in Signal Hill

Signal Hill is a small city 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. Signal Hill deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, and crime rates above the national average.

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
Crime above national average
Above-average commute times
Air quality concerns

How Signal Hill compares

Median household income

Signal Hill$113,298

California avg$99,122

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Signal Hill$1,851

California avg$2,036

US$1,413

Median home value

Signal Hill$783,300

California avg$734,700

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Signal Hill

Based on Signal Hill's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,702

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $74,040 a year
40% of Signal Hill renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$156,660

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $78,330
Homes cost 6.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 31% above US

$1,851/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,851 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 $783,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $783,300 · 40% 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▲ 66% above US

547 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 5086/100k · Signal Hill Police Department · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 19% above US

31 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 31 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. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 20% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

69%

Work from home

20%

Carpool

5.5%

Other

2.1%

Public transit

1.4%

Walk

1.3%

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

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

37% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 37% 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

3 public schools inside the boundary

There are 3 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 25:1, above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (40 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Signal Hill'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 ($1,851/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (20% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone moving without a job lined up.

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