Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Fullerton
141,278
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Fullerton
$104,219
Home Value
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Fullerton
$859,600
Rent
Costa Mesa
$2,395
Fullerton
$2,124
Crime Rate
Costa Mesa
7.39
Fullerton
4.57
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Fullerton
198.6
Avg Temp
Costa Mesa
N/A
Fullerton
N/A
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Fullerton
6.5%
How Similar Are Costa Mesa & Fullerton?
Fullerton is Costa Mesa's #24 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Fullerton
141,278
Fullerton has a 22% larger population than Costa Mesa.
Violent Crime
Costa Mesa
7.39
Fullerton
4.57
Costa Mesa has a 38% higher violent crime than Fullerton.
Property Crime
Costa Mesa
28.37
Fullerton
20.24
Costa Mesa has a 29% higher property crime than Fullerton.
Political Leaning
Costa Mesa
47.1%
Fullerton
47.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Fullerton
6.5%
Fullerton has a 25% higher unemployment than Costa Mesa.
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Fullerton
$104,219
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Fullerton
$859,600
Costa Mesa has a 18% higher home values than Fullerton.
Education
Costa Mesa
31.5%
Fullerton
29.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.
Demographics
Costa Mesa
52.7%
Fullerton
43.0%
Costa Mesa has a 18% higher demographics than Fullerton.
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Fullerton
198.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Costa Mesa and Fullerton share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Costa Mesa
0
Fullerton
Costa Mesa leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Fullerton leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDFullerton scores 305.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 360.6 in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa scores 115.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 134.5 in Fullerton. Fullerton has a living wage (1 adult) of $87,392 vs $96,281 in Costa Mesa (10% lower).
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 — Fullerton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFullerton has a owner-occupied of 51.5% compared to 39.4% in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has a median home value of $1,054,700 vs $859,600 in Fullerton (23% higher). Fullerton has a median property tax of $5,546 vs $6,676 in Costa Mesa (20% lower).
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 has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 12.7% in Fullerton. Costa Mesa: 18 min vs Fullerton: 26 min for mean commute. Costa Mesa has a poverty rate of 8.9% compared to 12.2% in Fullerton.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Fullerton leads
Source: FBI UCRFullerton has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.03 in Costa Mesa. Fullerton has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.31 compared to 5.99 in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has a property crime clearance of 19.0% compared to 10.8% in Fullerton.
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 — Costa Mesa leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauCosta Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 43.5% compared to 40.0% in Fullerton. Costa Mesa has a bachelor's degree or higher of 31.5% compared to 29.4% in Fullerton.
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 ACSFullerton has a population of 141,278, about 1.3x the size of Costa Mesa (110,538).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Costa Mesa
Fullerton
Healthcare — Costa Mesa leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCosta Mesa: 4 vs Fullerton: 3 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 0.6% in Fullerton. Costa Mesa has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 12.7% in Fullerton. Costa Mesa: 18 min vs Fullerton: 26 min for mean commute time.
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.