City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Valley Center, CA

Valley Center's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

10,303
Residents
$116,620
Median income
$809,300
Median home
$2,053
Median rent (state)
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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.

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Starting with Valley Center, CA - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Valley Center.

Place dossier plate

Sheet CA-VALLEY-CENTER-CA · Valley Center, CA 10,303 pop · income 86th pct

POP-TOWN · INC-TOP · COL-ABOVE · SAFE-UNK · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-TOP · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-TOWN 10,303
  • INC-TOP $116,620
  • COL-ABOVE 110.7
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-TOP 86th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Broussard
  • HOME-TOP $809,300
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Broussard, LA ( $7 income $)

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 Valley Center

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Valley Center on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Valley Center on ACS population and median household income . 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: 10,303.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $116,620. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Valley Center - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Valley Center places in the 86th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

86th
percentile, household income
95th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: Valley Center, CA

Valley Center is a small town in California, home to 10,303 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Valley Center households earn a median of $116,620 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 9.1%. Typical homes in Valley Center are valued around $809,300, and the median resident age is 40.8 years. Educational attainment runs 35.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 55.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The city is served by 9 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.

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. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across California, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. 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 Valley Center'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 housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Valley Center, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for annual population history, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, 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 Valley Center?

Within California, the closest population matches are Exeter (10,280 residents, $71,198 income); Shasta Lake (10,334 residents, $61,319 income); Farmersville (10,336 residents, $57,832 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Comstock Park, MI (10,306 residents); Rotonda, FL (10,312 residents); Francisville, KY (10,313 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 2

How far does income reach against housing in Valley Center?

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 9.1%, 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.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 3

What does the education layer cover for Valley Center?

The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 35.6% 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.

See how the family ranking is built →

4. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Valley Center?

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.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

10,303 residents

Small city (10k–49k)

Median Household Income

$116,620 /yr

High income · poverty 9.1% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

110.7 (US=100)

Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average

City profile score · Valley Center, CA

51/100

4 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 A-
$116,620

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Bachelor's+ share B-
35.6%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Poverty rate D
9.1%

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.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Valley Center profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Household income, Bachelor's+ share, Poverty rate, Cost of living. Household incomeBachelor's+ sharePoverty rateCost of living 51 C-
Valley Center profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Household income: 84/100 (A-) · $116,620
  • Bachelor's+ share: 68/100 (B-) · 35.6%
  • Poverty rate: 43/100 (D) · 9.1%
  • Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index

How does Valley Center compare to other US cities?

Valley Center measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 86% higher than other cities
Home value 95% pricier than other cities
Median rent 88% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Valley Center 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 Valley Center near the bottom of California's cities

Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Valley Center ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Valley Center only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#357 of 1,338
73rd percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#363 of 1,343
73rd percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#553 of 1,450
61st percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#510 of 1,458
65th 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.

86thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

86th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Valley Center's home value compares nationally

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

$809,300 5th percentile more affordable than 5% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $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%). This entry sits in this band. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $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. Valley Center $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

Valley Center's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.9×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,643 of 15,516
More affordable than 6% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,099 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)

At 6.9×, Valley Center sits in the pressured band: national rank #14,643 of 15,516 and #3,099 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

$116,620 Valley Center, CA median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Valley Center, CA Valley Center, CA's median household income ($116,620) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Valley Center, CA-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Valley Center, CA median $116,620/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%
Valley Center, 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 Valley Center, CA.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 35.6%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 9.1%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 55.5%

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

Population
10,303
Median Income
$116,620
Median Home Value
$809,300
Median Age
40.8
Poverty Rate
9.1%
Labor force participation
55.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
35.6%

Schools

Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
78.0%
Carpool
5.8%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
15.3%
Other
0.8%

Based on 4,397 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 Valley Center. 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 Valley Center 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 Valley Center sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Valley Center 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Valley Center (this city) 10,303 $116,620
Exeter 10,280 $71,198
Shasta Lake 10,334 $61,319
Farmersville 10,336 $57,832
NCES CCD
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, 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.

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

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

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.

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