Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Fountain Valley
56,358
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Fountain Valley
$111,797
Home Value
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Fountain Valley
$1,018,600
Rent
Costa Mesa
$2,395
Fountain Valley
$2,507
Crime Rate
Costa Mesa
7.39
Fountain Valley
1.80
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Fountain Valley
226.4
Avg Temp
Costa Mesa
N/A
Fountain Valley
N/A
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Fountain Valley
6.3%
How Similar Are Costa Mesa & Fountain Valley?
Fountain Valley is Costa Mesa's #12 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Fountain Valley
56,358
Costa Mesa has a 49% larger population than Fountain Valley.
Violent Crime
Costa Mesa
7.39
Fountain Valley
1.80
Costa Mesa's violent crime is significantly higher than Fountain Valley's — 76% difference.
Property Crime
Costa Mesa
28.37
Fountain Valley
17.84
Costa Mesa has a 37% higher property crime than Fountain Valley.
Political Leaning
Costa Mesa
47.1%
Fountain Valley
47.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Fountain Valley
6.3%
Fountain Valley has a 23% higher unemployment than Costa Mesa.
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Fountain Valley
$111,797
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Fountain Valley
$1,018,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 3% difference.
Education
Costa Mesa
31.5%
Fountain Valley
32.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
Costa Mesa
52.7%
Fountain Valley
43.1%
Costa Mesa has a 18% higher demographics than Fountain Valley.
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Fountain Valley
226.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Costa Mesa
0
Fountain Valley
Cost of Living & Affordability — Costa Mesa leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCosta Mesa scores 115.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 170.9 in Fountain Valley. Costa Mesa has a living wage (family of 4) of $227,573 vs $235,485 in Fountain Valley. Costa Mesa has a living wage (1 adult) of $96,281 vs $99,628 in Fountain Valley.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Fountain Valley leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFountain Valley has a vacancy rate of 2.1% compared to 4.7% in Costa Mesa. Fountain Valley has a owner-occupied of 66.2% compared to 39.4% in Costa Mesa. Fountain Valley has a single-family homes of 78.3% compared to 49.7% in Costa Mesa.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Costa Mesa leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCosta Mesa: 67,989 vs Fountain Valley: 28,425 for labor force. Costa Mesa has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 14.7% in Fountain Valley. Costa Mesa has a unemployment rate of 4.9% compared to 6.3% in Fountain Valley.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Fountain Valley leads
Source: FBI UCRFountain Valley has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.00 compared to 5.99 in Costa Mesa. Fountain Valley has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.80 compared to 7.39 in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has a property crime clearance of 19.0% compared to 10.1% in Fountain Valley.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Fountain Valley leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauFountain Valley has a high school diploma or higher of 45.3% compared to 43.5% in Costa Mesa. Fountain Valley has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.3% compared to 31.5% in Costa Mesa.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCosta Mesa has a population of 110,538, about 2x the size of Fountain Valley (56,358). Costa Mesa skews younger with a median age of 36.5 vs 43.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Costa Mesa
Fountain Valley
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCosta Mesa: 3.3 vs Fountain Valley: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Fountain Valley: 5 vs Costa Mesa: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Costa Mesa leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCosta Mesa has a bicycle of 1.0% compared to 0.1% in Fountain Valley. Costa Mesa has a public transit of 1.6% compared to 0.3% in Fountain Valley. Costa Mesa has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 14.7% in Fountain Valley.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Costa Mesa, CA
Compare Costa Mesa against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.