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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-BELL-CA · Bell, CA 32,830 pop · income 36th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Bell
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Bell on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Desert Hot Sp… · lowest
50,349
Desert Hot Sp… · lowest
50,349 median HH income
24.2% of the leader · rank #1
Sturgis · near
60,640
Sturgis · near
60,640 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #2
Bell · this city
60,641
Bell · this city
60,641 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #3
Satsop · near
60,643
Satsop · near
60,643 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #4
Newport · near
60,644
Newport · near
60,644 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #5
Phoenix · near
60,656
Phoenix · near
60,656 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #6
Los Gatos · highest
207,891
Los Gatos · highest
207,891 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Bell on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 32,830.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Bell - the verdict
Bell ranks in the 36th percentile for household income and the 39th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
36th
percentile, household income
87th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
39th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Bell, CA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 32,830 residents in Bell, a small city within California. Households in Bell report a median income of $60,641 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 19.3%. Home values in Bell run a median of $561,400, and the median resident age is 33.9 years. About 8.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 55.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 17 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 73% from five years earlier. Bell reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1744.6 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, California scores 110.7 (Well Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,053 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across California, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. The average commute for Bell workers runs 30.1 minutes, with 75.2% driving alone and 4.0% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 88.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Bell's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income to schools and households to population change to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Bell, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Bell?
Within California, the closest population matches are Desert Hot Springs (32,786 residents, $50,349 income); Dana Point (32,883 residents, $127,246 income); Menlo Park (32,775 residents, $206,588 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Andover, MN (32,825 residents); Brooklyn Center, MN (32,811 residents); Kaysville, UT (32,861 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.2%. The reported mean trip to work is 30.1 minutes.
How far does income reach against housing in Bell?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 9.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 19.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The NCES join finds 8 public schools within the city match. 8.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Bell growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -1,822 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -5.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 17 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-5.4%
2025 estimate
31,625
2020 estimate
33,447
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1744.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 23% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1161.0
Violent rate
583.7
Total reported rate
1744.6
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Below median income · poverty 19.3% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
F
City profile score · Bell, CA
16/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income F
$60,641
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
19.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
584 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
110.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
8.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Bell profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 36/100 (F) · $60,641
Poverty rate: 15/100 (F) · 19.3%
Violent crime: 11/100 (F) · 584 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Bachelor's+ share: 3/100 (F) · 8.7%
Where Bell sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Bell's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Bell highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Bell, CA (this city): home $561,400, crime 1,745/100k
Brooklyn Center, MN : home $261,100, crime 3,368/100k
Kaysville, UT : home $583,700, crime 629/100k
Glendale Heights, IL : home $249,000, crime 1,091/100k
Rochester, NH : home $262,600, crime 1,221/100k
Clearfield, UT : home $342,000, crime 1,473/100k
Desert Hot Springs, CA : home $309,300, crime 1,692/100k
Dana Point, CA : home $1,200,900, crime 1,059/100k
Menlo Park, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 2,010/100k
Los Gatos, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 1,580/100k
Foster City, CA : home $1,774,500, crime 739/100k
Lathrop, CA : home $605,000, crime 1,723/100k
How does Bell compare to other US cities?
Here's how Bell stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income36% higher than other cities
Home value87% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety39% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at California, Bell ranks #190 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Bell against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Bell near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Bell ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bell only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,047 of 1,338
22nd percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#630 of 1,343
53rd percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#200 of 1,450
86th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,247 of 1,458
14th percentile in California
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
36th percentile nationally for median household income · 39th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Bell's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Bell's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Bell's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$561,40013th percentilemore affordable than 13% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Bell's home-value-to-income ratio: 9.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,278 of 15,516
More affordable than 2% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,260 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 9.3×, Bell sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,278 of 15,516 and #3,260 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$60,641Bell, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Bell, CA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Bell, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)8.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)19.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)55.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
32,830
Median Income
$60,641
Median Home Value
$561,400
Median Age
33.9
Poverty Rate
19.3%
Labor force participation
55.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
8.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1744.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
583.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1161.0
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
8
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Bell's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
33,447 residents
2021
32,717 residents
2022
32,283 residents
2023
32,038 residents
2024
31,895 residents
2025
31,625 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
17
housing units authorized
Single-Family
17
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.5
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
63
11
52
$8.7M
2020
65
9
56
$9.0M
2021
82
11
71
$11.4M
2022
10
10
0
$0.9M
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
17
17
0
$3.2M
Permit volume decreased 73% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
30.1 minutes
Drive Alone
75.2%
Carpool
12.1%
Public Transit
4.6%
Walk
2.6%
Work from Home
4.0%
Other
1.5%
Based on 13,810 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
California statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across California at $275 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $70 ).
These are California statewide averages, not a meter reading for Bell. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
California's BEA cost-of-living index is 110.7 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Bell is $2,053/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to California statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a California statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Bell sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Bell compares to similar-size California cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.