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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-SOLANA-BEACH-CA · Solana Beach, CA 12,841 pop · income 94th 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 Solana Beach
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Solana Beach on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
West Monroe · lowest
46,663
West Monroe · lowest
46,663 median HH income
27.4% of the leader · rank #1
Rice Tracts · near
150,750
Rice Tracts · near
150,750 median HH income
88.4% of the leader · rank #2
Ilchester · near
150,783
Ilchester · near
150,783 median HH income
88.5% of the leader · rank #3
Solana Beach · this city
150,820
Solana Beach · this city
150,820 median HH income
88.5% of the leader · rank #4
Montebello · near
150,882
Montebello · near
150,882 median HH income
88.5% of the leader · rank #5
Third Lake · near
150,893
Third Lake · near
150,893 median HH income
88.5% of the leader · rank #6
San Anselmo · highest
170,457
San Anselmo · highest
170,457 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 Solana Beach 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: 12,841.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Solana Beach - the verdict
Nationally, Solana Beach sits in the 94th percentile for household income and the 53rd percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
94th
percentile, household income
99th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
53rd
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: Solana Beach, CA
California's Solana Beach is a small town, with 12,841 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Solana Beach households earn a median of $150,820 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 2.5%. Home values in Solana Beach run a median of $1,934,700, and the median resident age is 47.9 years. Educational attainment runs 71.8% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 56.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 11 residential building permits were authorized in Solana Beach (Rapid Growth), up 22% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Solana Beach reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1270.6 crimes per 100,000 residents, below 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: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts California at 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,053 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). Workers in Solana Beach report an average commute of 15.2 minutes, with 56.6% driving alone and 30.7% 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 Solana Beach'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 housing and income to comparison shortlist to work and mobility 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 Solana Beach, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, commute-mode shares, local building permits.
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. Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Solana Beach?
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 12.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Solana Beach?
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 Larkspur (12,856 residents, $134,744 income); Emeryville (12,756 residents, $120,302 income); Avocado Heights (12,934 residents, $95,000 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are West Monroe, LA (12,837 residents); Lakeside, VA (12,845 residents); Byram, MS (12,847 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Solana Beach?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 56.6%. The reported mean trip to work is 15.2 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. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
What does the education layer cover for Solana Beach?
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 3 public schools within the city match. 71.8% 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.
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 Solana Beach growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -325 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 11 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.
2020 estimate
12,927
2025 estimate
12,602
Period change
-2.5%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Solana Beach?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1270.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 44% 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.
Total reported rate
1270.6
Violent rate
103.2
Property rate
1167.4
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
B
City profile score · Solana Beach, CA
70/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share A+
71.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income A+
$150,820
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate A-
2.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime B
103 /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.
Solana Beach profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 99/100 (A+) · 71.8%
Household income: 96/100 (A+) · $150,820
Poverty rate: 82/100 (A-) · 2.5%
Violent crime: 70/100 (B) · 103 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Solana Beach sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Solana Beach'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 - Solana Beach highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Solana Beach, CA (this city): home $1,934,700, crime 1,271/100k
West Monroe, LA : home $174,400, crime 7,042/100k
Byram, MS : home $177,200, crime 1,054/100k
Cheney, WA : home $330,300, crime 2,042/100k
Emeryville, CA : home $598,300, crime 14,719/100k
Marysville, CA : home $282,700, crime 2,806/100k
Grover Beach, CA : home $691,900, crime 1,481/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Solana Beach compare to other US cities?
Where Solana Beach sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income94% higher than other cities
Home value99% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety53% 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, Solana Beach ranks #108 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 Solana Beach 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 Solana Beach near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Solana Beach ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Solana Beach only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#176 of 1,338
87th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#66 of 1,343
95th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#1,072 of 1,450
25th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#85 of 1,458
94th 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
94th percentile nationally for median household income · 53rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Solana Beach's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Solana Beach'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 Solana Beach's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$1,934,7001st percentilemore affordable than 1% 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
Solana Beach's home-value-to-income ratio: 12.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,472 of 15,516
More affordable than 0% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,305 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 12.8×, Solana Beach sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,472 of 15,516 and #3,305 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
$150,820Solana Beach, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Solana Beach, 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 Solana Beach, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)71.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)2.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)56.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
12,841
Median Income
$150,820
Median Home Value
$1,934,700
Median Age
47.9
Poverty Rate
2.5%
Labor force participation
56.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
71.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1270.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
103.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1167.4
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.
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Solana Beach's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
12,927 residents
2021
12,823 residents
2022
12,742 residents
2023
12,754 residents
2024
12,746 residents
2025
12,602 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
11
housing units authorized
Single-Family
11
detached homes
Multifamily
0
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
9
9
0
$5.5M
2020
12
12
0
$7.5M
2021
51
26
25
$12.5M
2022
20
18
2
$4.0M
2023
282
20
262
$35.8M
2024
11
11
0
$1.6M
Permit volume increased 22% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
15.2 minutes
Drive Alone
56.6%
Carpool
4.9%
Public Transit
1.7%
Walk
3.8%
Work from Home
30.7%
Other
2.3%
Based on 5,833 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 Solana Beach. 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 Solana Beach 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 Solana Beach sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Solana Beach 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.