Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Goleta
32,693
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Goleta
$118,039
Home Value
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Goleta
$1,002,500
Rent
Costa Mesa
$2,395
Goleta
$2,385
Crime Rate
Costa Mesa
7.39
Goleta
2.05
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Goleta
217.4
Avg Temp
Costa Mesa
N/A
Goleta
N/A
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Goleta
4.3%
How Similar Are Costa Mesa & Goleta?
Goleta is Costa Mesa's #15 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Costa Mesa
110,538
Goleta
32,693
Costa Mesa (110,538) is about 3.4x larger than Goleta (32,693).
Violent Crime
Costa Mesa
7.39
Goleta
2.05
Costa Mesa's violent crime is significantly higher than Goleta's — 72% difference.
Property Crime
Costa Mesa
28.37
Goleta
15.69
Costa Mesa has a 45% higher property crime than Goleta.
Political Leaning
Costa Mesa
47.1%
Goleta
35.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Costa Mesa has a stronger Democratic lean (25% difference).
Unemployment
Costa Mesa
4.9%
Goleta
4.3%
Costa Mesa has a 13% higher unemployment than Goleta.
Median Income
Costa Mesa
$110,073
Goleta
$118,039
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Costa Mesa
$1,054,700
Goleta
$1,002,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Costa Mesa
31.5%
Goleta
32.0%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Costa Mesa
52.7%
Goleta
51.5%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
Costa Mesa
218.8
Goleta
217.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Costa Mesa and Goleta share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Costa Mesa
0
Goleta
Goleta leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Goleta leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCosta Mesa scores 134.1 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 140.2 in Goleta. Goleta scores 347.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 360.6 in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa scores 127.3 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 132.2 in Goleta.
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 — Goleta leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGoleta has a owner-occupied of 51.2% compared to 39.4% in Costa Mesa. Goleta has a median property tax of $5,983 vs $6,676 in Costa Mesa (12% lower). Goleta has a single-family homes of 54.5% 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 Goleta: 18,862 for labor force. Costa Mesa has a poverty rate of 8.9% compared to 10.6% in Goleta. Costa Mesa has a government sector of 45.7% compared to 39.6% in Goleta.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Goleta leads
Source: FBI UCRGoleta has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.47 compared to 5.99 in Costa Mesa. Goleta has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.05 compared to 7.39 in Costa Mesa. Goleta has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 15.69 compared to 28.37 in Costa Mesa.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauCosta Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 43.5% compared to 40.8% in Goleta. Goleta has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.0% 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 3.4x the size of Goleta (32,693). Goleta skews younger with a median age of 35.5 vs 36.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Costa Mesa
Goleta
Healthcare — Goleta leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGoleta: 3.7 vs Costa Mesa: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Goleta leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGoleta has a bicycle of 3.6% compared to 1.0% in Costa Mesa. Goleta has a public transit of 2.4% compared to 1.6% in Costa Mesa. Goleta: 16 min vs Costa Mesa: 18 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.