Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetCA-CHULA-VISTA-CA · Chula Vista, CA 275,030 pop · income 81st 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 Chula Vista
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Chula Vista on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Buffalo · lowest
48,050
Buffalo · lowest
48,050 median HH income
27.2% of the leader · rank #1
Steely Hollow · near
105,146
Steely Hollow · near
105,146 median HH income
59.6% of the leader · rank #2
University He… · near
105,172
University He… · near
105,172 median HH income
59.6% of the leader · rank #3
Chula Vista · this city
105,173
Chula Vista · this city
105,173 median HH income
59.6% of the leader · rank #4
Beattystown · near
105,179
Beattystown · near
105,179 median HH income
59.6% of the leader · rank #5
St. Regis Park · near
105,183
St. Regis Park · near
105,183 median HH income
59.6% of the leader · rank #6
Fremont · highest
176,350
Fremont · highest
176,350 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 Chula Vista 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: 275,030.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Chula Vista - the verdict
Chula Vista ranks in the 81st percentile for household income and the 46th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
81st
percentile, household income
93rd
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
46th
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: Chula Vista, CA
275,030 people live in Chula Vista, California - a mid-sized U.S. city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Chula Vista brings in $105,173 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 6.9%. Chula Vista's housing stock carries a median value of $697,400, and the median resident age is 37.0 years. 32.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 58.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 1,223 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Rapid Growth), up 46% from five years earlier. Chula Vista reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1508.2 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 63.3°F with 9.2 inches of precipitation per year.
California carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts California at 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,053 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in California run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Commute times here average 25.3 minutes, with 73.3% driving alone and 11.7% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Chula Vista'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 reported crime to population change to climate and hazard context to work and mobility to schools and households to comparison shortlist to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Chula Vista, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, 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.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Chula Vista?
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 1508.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 34% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Is Chula Vista growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -276 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1,223 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What physical conditions frame life in Chula Vista?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 63.3°F, with 9.2 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for California is 88.7 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Which cities make useful reference points for Chula Vista?
Within California, the closest population matches are Irvine (308,160 residents, $129,647 income); Santa Ana (311,639 residents, $88,354 income); Riverside (316,241 residents, $88,575 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Madison, WI (275,568 residents); Buffalo, NY (276,397 residents); Chandler, AZ (278,123 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.
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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Chula Vista?
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 73.3%. The reported mean trip to work is 25.3 minutes.
Public transit
2.4%
Work from home
11.7%
Drive alone
73.3%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 129,133 workers age 16+.
What does the education layer cover for Chula Vista?
The NCES join finds 68 public schools within the city match. 32.3% 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.
Matched public schools
68
Bachelor's degree+
32.3%
Poverty estimate
6.9%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
How far does income reach against housing in Chula Vista?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.9%, 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.
Household income
$105,173
Home value
$697,400
Value / income
6.6×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
D
City profile score · Chula Vista, CA
46/100
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 B+
$105,173
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share C+
32.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate C-
6.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
376 /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.
Chula Vista profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 79/100 (B+) · $105,173
Bachelor's+ share: 62/100 (C+) · 32.3%
Poverty rate: 53/100 (C-) · 6.9%
Violent crime: 24/100 (F) · 376 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Chula Vista sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Chula Vista'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 - Chula Vista highlighted among 13 peers.Read the chart values
Chula Vista, CA (this city): home $697,400, crime 1,508/100k
Madison, WI : home $346,900, crime 2,121/100k
Buffalo, NY : home $152,300, crime 4,516/100k
Chandler, AZ : home $469,800, crime 1,638/100k
Gilbert, AZ : home $518,600, crime 1,100/100k
North Las Vegas, NV : home $372,300, crime 2,350/100k
Reno, NV : home $498,600, crime 2,975/100k
Irvine, CA : home $1,115,400, crime 1,474/100k
Santa Ana, CA : home $657,800, crime 2,195/100k
Riverside, CA : home $542,100, crime 3,422/100k
Stockton, CA : home $412,900, crime 3,785/100k
Santa Clarita, CA : home $721,000, crime 1,342/100k
Fremont, CA : home $1,289,400, crime 2,523/100k
How does Chula Vista compare to other US cities?
Where Chula Vista sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income81% higher than other cities
Home value93% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety46% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to California alone, Chula Vista ranks #147 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Chula Vista 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 Chula Vista near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Chula Vista ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Chula Vista only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#451 of 1,338
66th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#444 of 1,343
67th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#694 of 1,450
52nd percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#573 of 1,458
60th 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
81st percentile nationally for median household income · 46th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Chula Vista's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Chula Vista'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 Chula Vista's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$697,4007th percentilemore affordable than 7% 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
Chula Vista's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,492 of 15,516
More affordable than 7% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#102 of 117
Large cities (200,000–999,999)
At 6.6×, Chula Vista sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,492 of 15,516 and #102 of 117large cities (200,000–999,999).
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
$105,173Chula Vista, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Chula Vista, 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 Chula Vista, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)32.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)58.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
275,030
Median Income
$105,173
Median Home Value
$697,400
Median Age
37.0
Poverty Rate
6.9%
Labor force participation
58.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
32.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1508.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
375.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1132.4
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.
Climate
Avg Temperature
63.3°F
Annual Precipitation
9.2"
Annual Snowfall
0.0"
Schools
Total Schools
68
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Chula Vista's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
275,809 residents
2021
275,748 residents
2022
275,262 residents
2023
275,851 residents
2024
276,747 residents
2025
275,533 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
1,223
housing units authorized
Single-Family
261
detached homes
Multifamily
962
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
839
282
557
$183.6M
2020
1,100
222
878
$247.7M
2021
1,756
291
1,465
$266.8M
2022
1,034
331
703
$186.5M
2023
843
244
599
$153.4M
2024
1,223
261
962
$229.8M
Permit volume increased 46% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
25.3 minutes
Drive Alone
73.3%
Carpool
9.9%
Public Transit
2.4%
Walk
1.4%
Work from Home
11.7%
Other
1.3%
Based on 129,133 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 Chula Vista. 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 Chula Vista 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 Chula Vista sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Chula Vista 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, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.