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Moving to
Willowbrook.
Willowbrook is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles 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 Willowbrook
Willowbrook is an unincorporated community in California. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Willowbrook deals with home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, and commute times longer than most cities.
The not so good
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Below-average household incomes
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
How Willowbrook compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Willowbrook
Based on Willowbrook's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,140
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $62,800 a year
- 58% of Willowbrook renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$111,840
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $55,920
- Homes cost 8.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 11% above US
$1,570/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,570 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 $559,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $559,200 · 58% 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
632 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Willowbrook doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Los Angeles 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 1648/100k · Policed by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 27% above US
33 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 33.1 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; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 76°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 50°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 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 68% below US
11% 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
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 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 Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (33 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nothing in Willowbrook's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and county unemployment above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,570/mo) equals 30% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and people who dread long commutes.
Other places near Willowbrook
All California guides →Moving to West Rancho Dominguez →
2 mi away · pop. 23,300
Rent $1,695/mo · Income $86,834
Compare with Willowbrook →Moving to East Rancho Dominguez →
3 mi away · pop. 14,603
Rent $1,701/mo · Income $72,895
Compare with Willowbrook →Not sure Willowbrook is the one?
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