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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-BELL-GARDENS-CA · Bell Gardens, CA 38,661 pop · income 28th 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 Gardens
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Bell Gardens on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Calexico · lowest
50,021
Calexico · lowest
50,021 median HH income
38.7% of the leader · rank #1
Bushnell · near
55,368
Bushnell · near
55,368 median HH income
42.9% of the leader · rank #2
Cortland · near
55,368
Cortland · near
55,368 median HH income
42.9% of the leader · rank #3
Robertsville · near
55,370
Robertsville · near
55,370 median HH income
42.9% of the leader · rank #4
Bell Gardens · this city
55,372
Bell Gardens · this city
55,372 median HH income
42.9% of the leader · rank #5
Knox · near
55,380
Knox · near
55,380 median HH income
42.9% of the leader · rank #6
Vestavia Hills · highest
129,171
Vestavia Hills · highest
129,171 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 Gardens 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: 38,661.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Bell Gardens - the verdict
Bell Gardens ranks in the 28th percentile for household income and the 36th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
28th
percentile, household income
86th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
36th
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 Gardens, CA
Bell Gardens is a small city in California, home to 38,661 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Bell Gardens report a median income of $55,372 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 19.0%. Home values in Bell Gardens run a median of $527,900, and the median resident age is 32.0 years. 6.9% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 56.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 35 residential building permits were authorized in Bell Gardens (Building Boom), up 400% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 1864.3 crimes per 100,000 residents, near the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than 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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,053 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). The average commute for Bell Gardens workers runs 26.7 minutes, with 73.6% driving alone and 6.2% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 88.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Bell Gardens'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 work and mobility to comparison shortlist to population change to reported crime to schools and households to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Bell Gardens, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, annual population history, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count.
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
What does the journey to work look like in Bell Gardens?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 73.6%. The reported mean trip to work is 26.7 minutes.
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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Bell Gardens?
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.
Within California, the closest population matches are Stanton (38,639 residents, $81,455 income); San Gabriel (38,764 residents, $87,592 income); Calexico (38,476 residents, $50,021 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Security-Widefield, CO (38,659 residents); Vestavia Hills, AL (38,704 residents); Spartanburg, SC (38,578 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.
Is Bell Gardens growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -2,012 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -5.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 35 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Bell Gardens?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1864.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 18% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Bell Gardens?
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.
The NCES join finds 7 public schools within the city match. 6.9% 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.
Poverty estimate
19.0%
Bachelor's degree+
6.9%
Matched public schools
7
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
How far does income reach against housing in Bell Gardens?
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 home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 9.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 19.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
9.5×
Home value
$527,900
Household income
$55,372
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Below median income · poverty 19.0% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
F
City profile score · Bell Gardens, 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
$55,372
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
388 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
19.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better 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
6.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Bell Gardens profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 28/100 (F) · $55,372
Violent crime: 23/100 (F) · 388 /100k
Poverty rate: 15/100 (F) · 19.0%
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Bachelor's+ share: 0/100 (F) · 6.9%
Where Bell Gardens sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Bell Gardens'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 Gardens highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Bell Gardens, CA (this city): home $527,900, crime 1,864/100k
Vestavia Hills, AL : home $494,500, crime 728/100k
Spartanburg, SC : home $185,300, crime 6,709/100k
Braintree, MA : home $623,200, crime 1,405/100k
Westerville, OH : home $343,200, crime 1,947/100k
Stanton, CA : home $541,000, crime 2,204/100k
San Gabriel, CA : home $899,000, crime 2,150/100k
Calexico, CA : home $281,700, crime 682/100k
La Quinta, CA : home $612,800, crime 2,122/100k
Adelanto, CA : home $318,300, crime 1,560/100k
Montclair, CA : home $549,600, crime 4,290/100k
How does Bell Gardens compare to other US cities?
Where Bell Gardens sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income28% higher than other cities
Home value86% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety36% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just California and the picture shifts: Bell Gardens ranks #212 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Bell Gardens 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 Gardens near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Bell Gardens ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bell Gardens only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,117 of 1,338
17th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#665 of 1,343
50th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#204 of 1,450
86th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,288 of 1,458
11th 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
28th percentile nationally for median household income · 36th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Bell Gardens's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Bell Gardens'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 Gardens's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$527,90014th percentilemore affordable than 14% 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 Gardens's home-value-to-income ratio: 9.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,308 of 15,516
More affordable than 1% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,270 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 9.5×, Bell Gardens sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,308 of 15,516 and #3,270 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
$55,372Bell Gardens, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Bell Gardens, 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 Gardens, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)6.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)19.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)56.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
38,661
Median Income
$55,372
Median Home Value
$527,900
Median Age
32.0
Poverty Rate
19.0%
Labor force participation
56.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
6.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1864.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
388.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1476.3
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
7
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Bell Gardens's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
39,379 residents
2021
38,555 residents
2022
38,005 residents
2023
37,693 residents
2024
37,601 residents
2025
37,367 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
35
housing units authorized
Single-Family
29
detached homes
Multifamily
6
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
7
3
4
$1.3M
2020
13
6
7
$1.9M
2021
14
5
9
$2.1M
2022
13
4
9
$2.0M
2023
16
3
13
$2.6M
2024
35
29
6
$4.3M
Permit volume increased 400% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
26.7 minutes
Drive Alone
73.6%
Carpool
11.7%
Public Transit
3.1%
Walk
3.8%
Work from Home
6.2%
Other
1.6%
Based on 16,121 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 Gardens. 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 Gardens 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 Gardens sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Bell Gardens 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.