City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Lake Forest, CA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Lake Forest - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

85,846
Residents
$131,378
Median income
$876,300
Median home
$3,236
Median rent (state)

Lake Forest - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Lake Forest places in the 90th percentile for household income and the 65th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

90th
percentile, household income
96th
percentile, home value
98th
percentile, median rent
65th
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: Lake Forest, CA

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 85,846 residents in Lake Forest, a small city within California. The typical household in Lake Forest brings in $131,378 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 5.7%. Lake Forest's housing stock carries a median value of $876,300, and the median resident age is 40.4 years. Educational attainment runs 50.1% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 65.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 27 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 94% from five years earlier. Lake Forest reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 975.4 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: the state registers 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $3,236 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 99.8 out of 100 (Very High).

Population

85,846 residents

Census ACS 2023 - California

Median Household Income

$131,378 /yr

Poverty 5.7%

Cost of Living Index (state)

110.7 (US=100)

Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, California average

How does Lake Forest compare to other US cities?

Here's how Lake Forest stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 90% higher than other cities
Home value 96% pricier than other cities
Median rent 98% pricier than other cities
Safety 65% 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, Lake Forest ranks #53 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

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Lake Forest's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in California, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

90thIncome percentile
65thSafety percentile

90th percentile nationally for median household income · 65th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Lake Forest's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Lake Forest'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. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 53 Avg. percentile National median
Lake Forest'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 Lake Forest's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$876,300 4th percentile more affordable than 4% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). This entry sits in this band. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Lake Forest $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Lake Forest, CA Lake Forest, CA's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Lake Forest, CA-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Lake Forest, CA median $131,378/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Lake Forest, CA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Lake Forest, CA. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 50.1%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 5.7%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 65.8%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
85,846
Median Income
$131,378
Median Home Value
$876,300
Median Age
40.4
Poverty Rate
5.7%
Labor force participation
65.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
50.1%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
975.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
145.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
829.7
per 100,000 residents

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
9
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
85,800 residents86,000 residents86,200 residents86,400 residents86,600 residents86,800 residents 202020212022202320242025 85,931 residents 86,333 residents ▲ +0.5%
Lake Forest's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
27
housing units authorized
Single-Family
27
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.3
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 416
2020 412
2021 409
2022 381
2023 259
2024 27

Permit volume decreased 94% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
67.3%
Carpool
7.5%
Public Transit
1.0%
Walk
0.9%
Work from Home
21.7%
Other
1.6%

Based on 44,781 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for California - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$150
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$70
avg/month
Total Utilities
$275
estimated/month

Estimates reflect California state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a California state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Lake Forest sits in

Cost of Living Index
110.7
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$3,236/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
99.8 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in California

Livermore
85,870 people
Whittier
85,925 people
Hawthorne
85,933 people
San Ramon
85,734 people
Manteca
86,521 people
Citrus Heights
87,036 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Lake Forest's 85,846 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Medford, OR
85,794 people
Melbourne, FL
85,718 people
Sioux City, IA
85,651 people
Danbury, CT
86,086 people
Franklin, TN
85,575 people
Bryan, TX
86,169 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Lake Forest's $131,378 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Savannah, TX
$131,397 median income
Wood-Ridge, NJ
$131,412 median income
Galena, OH
$131,324 median income
Madison, AL
$131,436 median income
Thornport, OH
$131,458 median income
Cumings, TX
$131,459 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Lake Forest, CA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Lake Forest, CA - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 52.2% 20.7% 8.7% 15.2% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 25.6% White 52.2% Black or African American 1.7% Asian 20.7% American Indian 1.0% Native Hawaiian 0.5% Some other race 8.7% Two or more races 15.2% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Lake Forest compares to nearby California cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Lake Forest (this city) 85,846 $131,378
Livermore 85,870 $153,602
Whittier 85,925 $92,374
Hawthorne 85,933 $72,719
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Lake Forest, CA?

What is the population of Lake Forest, CA? +

Lake Forest, CA has a population of 85,846 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Lake Forest, CA? +

Lake Forest households earn a median of $131,378 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Lake Forest? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Lake Forest; the closest available measure is the California state average, a cost of living index of 110.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within California vary by metro area.

Is Lake Forest, CA safe? +

Lake Forest has a total crime rate of 975.4 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Lake Forest, CA? +

Lake Forest's median home value sits at $876,300, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.