What it's like to live in Yucaipa
Yucaipa is a smaller city in California with household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Yucaipa 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
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 Yucaipa compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Yucaipa
Based on Yucaipa's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,422
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $68,440 a year
- 52% of Yucaipa renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$100,420
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $50,210
- Homes cost 5.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 21% above US
$1,711/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,711 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 $502,100. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $502,100 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.7%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 38% below US
204 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 687/100k · Yucaipa Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 25% above US
33 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 32.6 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. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 11% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 94°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 44°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 25% below US
27% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 27%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
14 public schools inside the boundary
There are 14 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 (15 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Yucaipa'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 ($1,711/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for people who dread long commutes and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Yucaipa
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