Population

Escondido

149,913

La Mesa

60,835

Median Income

Escondido

$84,477

La Mesa

$84,337

Home Value

Escondido

$663,500

La Mesa

$738,800

Rent

Escondido

$1,922

La Mesa

$1,958

Crime Rate

Escondido

4.34

La Mesa

4.16

Cost of Living

Escondido

170.6

La Mesa

176.3

Avg Temp

Escondido

N/A

La Mesa

N/A

Unemployment

Escondido

4.5%

La Mesa

6.3%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Escondido & La Mesa?

La Mesa is Escondido's #12 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Escondido

149,913

vs

La Mesa

60,835

Different · 59% difference

Escondido (149,913) is about 2.5x larger than La Mesa (60,835).

Violent Crime

Escondido

4.34

vs

La Mesa

4.16

Match · 4% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Escondido

14.85

vs

La Mesa

13.79

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.

Political Leaning

Escondido

40.2%

vs

La Mesa

40.2%

Match · 0% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Escondido

4.5%

vs

La Mesa

6.3%

Different · 30% difference

La Mesa has a 30% higher unemployment than Escondido.

Median Income

Escondido

$84,477

vs

La Mesa

$84,337

Match · 0% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 0% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Escondido

$663,500

vs

La Mesa

$738,800

Different · 10% difference

La Mesa has a 10% higher home values than Escondido.

Education

Escondido

19.1%

vs

La Mesa

27.6%

Different · 31% difference
🎓

La Mesa has a 31% higher education than Escondido.

Demographics

🌍

Escondido

47.1%

vs

La Mesa

59.4%

Different · 21% difference

La Mesa has a 21% higher demographics than Escondido.

Cost of Living

Escondido

170.6

vs

La Mesa

176.3

Match · 3% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Escondido and La Mesa share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Escondido

vsof 8

0

La Mesa

Escondido leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Escondido leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Escondido scores 255.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 271.5 in La Mesa. Escondido has a living wage (family of 4) of $177,451 vs $183,392 in La Mesa. Escondido has a living wage (1 adult) of $75,076 vs $77,589 in La Mesa.

Overall Cost Index

Escondido170.6
La Mesa176.3

Housing Index

Escondido255.8
La Mesa271.5

Food Index

Escondido114.6
La Mesa114.5

Transportation Index

Escondido129.1
La Mesa128.9

Healthcare Index

Escondido111.7
La Mesa111.6

Utilities Index

Escondido139.9
La Mesa143.0

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Escondido$75,076
La Mesa$77,589

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Escondido$177,451
La Mesa$183,392

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Escondido$2,459
La Mesa$2,459

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Escondido$3,001
La Mesa$3,001

Housing Market — Escondido leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Escondido has a vacancy rate of 3.8% compared to 4.7% in La Mesa. Escondido has a owner-occupied of 52.2% compared to 46.0% in La Mesa. Escondido has a single-family homes of 58.3% compared to 51.6% in La Mesa.

Median Home Value

Escondido$663,500
La Mesa$738,800

Median Rent

Escondido$1,922
La Mesa$1,958

Median Property Tax

Escondido$4,741
La Mesa$4,927

Owner-Occupied

Escondido52.2%
La Mesa46.0%

Vacancy Rate

Escondido3.8%
La Mesa4.7%

Single-Family Homes

Escondido58.3%
La Mesa51.6%

Jobs & Economy — Escondido leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Escondido: 76,471 vs La Mesa: 33,956 for labor force. Escondido has a unemployment rate of 4.5% compared to 6.3% in La Mesa. Escondido has a government sector of 45.6% compared to 37.2% in La Mesa.

Median Household Income

Escondido$84,477
La Mesa$84,337

Per Capita Income

Escondido$38,098
La Mesa$46,783

Poverty Rate

Escondido13.4%
La Mesa11.7%

Unemployment Rate

Escondido4.5%
La Mesa6.3%

Labor Force

Escondido76,471
La Mesa33,956

Mean Commute

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Work from Home

Escondido12.8%
La Mesa14.9%

Private Sector

Escondido98.9%
La Mesa84.5%

Government Sector

Escondido45.6%
La Mesa37.2%

Crime & Safety — La Mesa leads

Source: FBI UCR

Escondido has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.07 in La Mesa. La Mesa has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.83 compared to 1.12 in Escondido. Escondido has a property crime clearance of 18.1% compared to 14.7% in La Mesa.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Escondido4.34
La Mesa4.16

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Escondido14.85
La Mesa13.79

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Escondido0.01
La Mesa0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Escondido1.12
La Mesa0.83

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Escondido3.02
La Mesa3.13

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Escondido2.23
La Mesa2.20

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Escondido10.50
La Mesa8.96

Violent Crime Clearance

Escondido61.8%
La Mesa58.2%

Property Crime Clearance

Escondido18.1%
La Mesa14.7%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Avg Annual High

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Avg Annual Low

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Sunny Days per Year

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Annual Rainfall

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Annual Snowfall

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Avg Humidity

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Schools & Education — La Mesa leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

La Mesa has a bachelor's degree or higher of 27.6% compared to 19.1% in Escondido. La Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 39.9% compared to 35.0% in Escondido.

Public Schools

Escondido0
La Mesa0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Colleges & Universities

Escondido0
La Mesa0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Escondido19.1%
La Mesa27.6%

High School Diploma or Higher

Escondido35.0%
La Mesa39.9%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Escondido has a population of 149,913, about 2.5x the size of La Mesa (60,835).

Population

Escondido149,913
La Mesa60,835

Median Age

Escondido37
La Mesa37

Avg Household Size

Escondido2.9
La Mesa2.4

Married Population

Escondido40.4%
La Mesa37.2%

Foreign Born

Escondido28.3%
La Mesa14.2%

White

Escondido47.1%
La Mesa59.4%

Black

Escondido2.3%
La Mesa8.4%

Hispanic

Escondido51.7%
La Mesa27.9%

Asian

Escondido7.0%
La Mesa6.4%

Escondido

La Mesa

Healthcare — Escondido leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Escondido: 4 vs La Mesa: 3 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Escondido5
La Mesa5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Escondido3.7
La Mesa3.7

With Emergency Services

Escondido4
La Mesa3

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

La Mesa has a public transit of 2.4% compared to 1.5% in Escondido. La Mesa has a work from home of 14.9% compared to 12.8% in Escondido.

Mean Commute Time

EscondidoN/A
La MesaN/A

Drive Alone

Escondido72.0%
La Mesa71.4%

Public Transit

Escondido1.5%
La Mesa2.4%

Bicycle

Escondido0.4%
La Mesa0.0%

Work from Home

Escondido12.8%
La Mesa14.9%

Airports

Escondido0
La Mesa0

Cities Similar to Escondido, CA

Compare Escondido 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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