Population
La Mesa
60,835
Downey
111,793
Median Income
La Mesa
$84,337
Downey
$87,400
Home Value
La Mesa
$738,800
Downey
$728,500
Rent
La Mesa
$1,958
Downey
$1,892
Crime Rate
La Mesa
4.16
Downey
4.40
Cost of Living
La Mesa
176.3
Downey
176.3
Avg Temp
La Mesa
N/A
Downey
N/A
Unemployment
La Mesa
6.3%
Downey
5.8%
How Similar Are La Mesa & Downey?
Downey is La Mesa's #6 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
La Mesa
60,835
Downey
111,793
Downey has a 46% larger population than La Mesa.
Violent Crime
La Mesa
4.16
Downey
4.40
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.
Property Crime
La Mesa
13.79
Downey
28.86
Downey's property crime is significantly higher than La Mesa's — 52% difference.
Political Leaning
La Mesa
40.2%
Downey
31.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but La Mesa has a stronger Democratic lean (21% difference).
Unemployment
La Mesa
6.3%
Downey
5.8%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.
Median Income
La Mesa
$84,337
Downey
$87,400
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
La Mesa
$738,800
Downey
$728,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.
Education
La Mesa
27.6%
Downey
17.7%
La Mesa has a 36% higher education than Downey.
Demographics
La Mesa
59.4%
Downey
29.8%
La Mesa has a 50% higher demographics than Downey.
Cost of Living
La Mesa
176.3
Downey
176.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. La Mesa and Downey share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
La Mesa
0
Downey
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDowney has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,085 vs $2,459 in La Mesa (18% lower). Downey has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,601 vs $3,001 in La Mesa (15% lower). La Mesa scores 114.5 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 116.8 in Downey.
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 — Downey leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDowney has a vacancy rate of 3.2% compared to 4.7% in La Mesa. Downey has a single-family homes of 63.2% compared to 51.6% in La Mesa. Downey has a owner-occupied of 50.7% compared to 46.0% in La Mesa.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Downey leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLa Mesa has a work from home of 14.9% compared to 8.3% in Downey. Downey: 59,508 vs La Mesa: 33,956 for labor force. Downey has a poverty rate of 9.1% compared to 11.7% in La Mesa.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — La Mesa leads
Source: FBI UCRDowney has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.07 in La Mesa. La Mesa has a property crime clearance of 14.7% compared to 6.4% in Downey. La Mesa has a violent crime clearance of 58.2% compared to 28.6% in Downey.
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 — La Mesa leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLa Mesa has a bachelor's degree or higher of 27.6% compared to 17.7% in Downey. La Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 39.9% compared to 35.0% in Downey.
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 ACSDowney has a population of 111,793, about 1.8x the size of La Mesa (60,835).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
La Mesa
Downey
Healthcare — La Mesa leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLa Mesa: 3.7 vs Downey: 2.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Downey leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDowney has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.0% in La Mesa. La Mesa has a work from home of 14.9% compared to 8.3% in Downey. Downey has a public transit of 2.9% compared to 2.4% in La Mesa.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to La Mesa, CA
Compare La 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.