Population
Irvine
308,160
Lake Forest
85,846
Median Income
Irvine
$129,647
Lake Forest
$131,378
Home Value
Irvine
$1,115,400
Lake Forest
$876,300
Rent
Irvine
$2,893
Lake Forest
$2,616
Crime Rate
Irvine
0.84
Lake Forest
1.46
Cost of Living
Irvine
244.2
Lake Forest
233.4
Avg Temp
Irvine
N/A
Lake Forest
N/A
Unemployment
Irvine
5.5%
Lake Forest
4.6%
How Similar Are Irvine & Lake Forest?
Lake Forest is Irvine's #24 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Irvine
308,160
Lake Forest
85,846
Irvine (308,160) is about 3.6x larger than Lake Forest (85,846).
Violent Crime
Irvine
0.84
Lake Forest
1.46
Lake Forest has a 42% higher violent crime than Irvine.
Property Crime
Irvine
13.90
Lake Forest
8.30
Irvine has a 40% higher property crime than Lake Forest.
Political Leaning
Irvine
47.1%
Lake Forest
47.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Irvine
5.5%
Lake Forest
4.6%
Irvine has a 16% higher unemployment than Lake Forest.
Median Income
Irvine
$129,647
Lake Forest
$131,378
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Irvine
$1,115,400
Lake Forest
$876,300
Irvine has a 21% higher home values than Lake Forest.
Education
Irvine
46.1%
Lake Forest
35.6%
Irvine has a 23% higher education than Lake Forest.
Demographics
Irvine
38.7%
Lake Forest
52.2%
Lake Forest has a 26% higher demographics than Irvine.
Cost of Living
Irvine
244.2
Lake Forest
233.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Irvine and Lake Forest differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Irvine
0
Lake Forest
Lake Forest leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lake Forest leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDIrvine scores 127.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 200.8 in Lake Forest. Lake Forest scores 339.3 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in Irvine. Lake Forest scores 178.1 on the utilities index (100 = national avg) vs 189.5 in Irvine.
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 — Lake Forest leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLake Forest has a median property tax of $5,615 vs $9,091 in Irvine (62% lower). Lake Forest has a vacancy rate of 4.7% compared to 7.0% in Irvine. Lake Forest has a owner-occupied of 70.7% compared to 43.8% in Irvine.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSIrvine: 165,435 vs Lake Forest: 48,025 for labor force. Lake Forest has a poverty rate of 8.3% compared to 11.7% in Irvine. Lake Forest has a unemployment rate of 4.6% compared to 5.5% in Irvine.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Lake Forest leads
Source: FBI UCRLake Forest has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 5.68 compared to 11.22 in Irvine. Lake Forest has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.07 compared to 1.98 in Irvine. Lake Forest has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 8.30 compared to 13.90 in Irvine.
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 — Irvine leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauIrvine has a bachelor's degree or higher of 46.1% compared to 35.6% in Lake Forest. Irvine has a high school diploma or higher of 50.7% compared to 46.3% in Lake Forest.
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 ACSIrvine has a population of 308,160, about 3.6x the size of Lake Forest (85,846). Irvine skews younger with a median age of 33.9 vs 40.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Irvine
Lake Forest
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLake Forest: 3 vs Irvine: 2 for with emergency services. Irvine: 5.0 vs Lake Forest: 4.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSIrvine has a bicycle of 1.3% compared to 0.5% in Lake Forest. Irvine has a work from home of 25.9% compared to 21.7% in Lake Forest. Lake Forest has a drive alone of 67.3% compared to 60.8% in Irvine.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Irvine, CA
Compare Irvine 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.