Spring Valley Lake 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 Spring Valley Lake

Spring Valley Lake is an unincorporated community in California. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Spring Valley Lake 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 not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Above-average unemployment in the county
  • Long commutes
  • Air quality concerns
  • High rent burden for renters

How Spring Valley Lake compares

Median household income

Spring Valley Lake$82,625
California avg$99,122
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Spring Valley Lake$2,350
California avg$2,036
US$1,413

Median home value

Spring Valley Lake$463,000
California avg$734,700
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Spring Valley Lake

Based on Spring Valley Lake's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,700

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

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $94,000 a year
  • 53% of Spring Valley Lake renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$92,600

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $46,300
  • Homes cost 5.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 66% above US

$2,350/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,350 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 run above average, with a median around $463,000. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $463,000 · 53% 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

Spring Valley Lake 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▲ 35% above US

35 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 35.2 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; 13% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
74%
Work from home
13%
Carpool
10%
Walk
1.6%
Other
0.8%

Climate

Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 95°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 34°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
20°40°60°80°100°1.5"Jan: 0.97" precipitationFeb: 1.27" precipitationMar: 0.78" precipitationApr: 0.33" precipitationMay: 0.09" precipitationJun: 0.04" precipitationJul: 0.22" precipitationAug: 0.11" precipitationSep: 0.16" precipitationOct: 0.31" precipitationNov: 0.35" precipitationDec: 0.94" precipitationJJan: high 58°F, low 33°FFFeb: high 61°F, low 36°FMMar: high 67°F, low 40°FAApr: high 73°F, low 44°FMMay: high 81°F, low 51°FJJun: high 91°F, low 58°F98°JJul: high 98°F, low 64°FAAug: high 97°F, low 63°FSSep: high 91°F, low 58°FOOct: high 79°F, low 47°FNNov: high 67°F, low 38°F33°DDec: high 57°F, low 33°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 18% below US

29% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 29%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

0 public schools inside the boundary

No public school is located inside the boundary; students attend schools in the surrounding district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (43 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Nothing in Spring Valley Lake's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,350/mo) equals 34% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. 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.

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