What it's like to live in Yorba Linda

Yorba Linda is a smaller city in California with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below 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. Yorba Linda 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
  • Low crime rates
  • Highly educated workforce

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Above-average commute times
  • Air quality concerns
  • Shrinking population
  • High student-teacher ratio

How Yorba Linda compares

Median household income

Yorba Linda$157,582
California avg$99,122
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Yorba Linda$2,846
California avg$2,036
US$1,413

Median home value

Yorba Linda$1,147,100
California avg$734,700
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Yorba Linda

Based on Yorba Linda's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$5,692

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

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $113,840 a year
  • 48% of Yorba Linda renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$229,420

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $114,710
  • Homes cost 7.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 101% above US

$2,846/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,846 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 $1,147,100. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,147,100 · 48% of renters cost-burdened

Job marketNear US average

3.9% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 86% below US

47 violent crimes per 100k

Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.

Property crime 595/100k · Yorba Linda 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. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
71%
Work from home
21%
Carpool
5.5%
Other
1.5%
Walk
1.0%
Public transit
0.4%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 49°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
40°50°60°70°80°90°100°3.5"Jan: 3.16" precipitationFeb: 3.05" precipitationMar: 1.80" precipitationApr: 0.70" precipitationMay: 0.41" precipitationJun: 0.11" precipitationJul: 0.11" precipitationAug: 0.01" precipitationSep: 0.15" precipitationOct: 0.62" precipitationNov: 1.01" precipitationDec: 2.39" precipitationJJan: high 71°F, low 49°FFFeb: high 71°F, low 49°FMMar: high 74°F, low 51°FAApr: high 77°F, low 54°FMMay: high 78°F, low 58°FJJun: high 82°F, low 62°FJJul: high 87°F, low 66°F89°AAug: high 89°F, low 66°FSSep: high 88°F, low 64°FOOct: high 83°F, low 59°FNNov: high 77°F, low 53°F48°DDec: high 71°F, low 48°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 56% above US

56% 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

11 public schools inside the boundary

There are 11 public schools inside the boundary and 8 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 24:1, above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (31 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Yorba Linda's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below 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 ($2,846/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (21% 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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