Population

La Mesa

60,835

Escondido

149,913

Median Income

La Mesa

$84,337

Escondido

$84,477

Home Value

La Mesa

$738,800

Escondido

$663,500

Rent

La Mesa

$1,958

Escondido

$1,922

Crime Rate

La Mesa

4.16

Escondido

4.34

Cost of Living

La Mesa

176.3

Escondido

170.6

Avg Temp

La Mesa

N/A

Escondido

N/A

Unemployment

La Mesa

6.3%

Escondido

4.5%

Loading map…

How Similar Are La Mesa & Escondido?

Escondido is La Mesa's #17 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

La Mesa

60,835

vs

Escondido

149,913

Different · 59% difference

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

Violent Crime

La Mesa

4.16

vs

Escondido

4.34

Match · 4% difference
🚨

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

Property Crime

🔒

La Mesa

13.79

vs

Escondido

14.85

Match · 7% difference

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

Political Leaning

La Mesa

40.2%

vs

Escondido

40.2%

Match · 0% difference
🗳️

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

Unemployment

💼

La Mesa

6.3%

vs

Escondido

4.5%

Different · 30% difference

La Mesa has a 30% higher unemployment than Escondido.

Median Income

La Mesa

$84,337

vs

Escondido

$84,477

Match · 0% difference
💰

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

Home Values

🏠

La Mesa

$738,800

vs

Escondido

$663,500

Different · 10% difference

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

Education

La Mesa

27.6%

vs

Escondido

19.1%

Different · 31% difference
🎓

La Mesa has a 31% higher education than Escondido.

Demographics

🌍

La Mesa

59.4%

vs

Escondido

47.1%

Different · 21% difference

La Mesa has a 21% higher demographics than Escondido.

Cost of Living

La Mesa

176.3

vs

Escondido

170.6

Match · 3% difference
💵

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

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

At a Glance

0

La Mesa

vsof 8

0

Escondido

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

La Mesa176.3
Escondido170.6

Housing Index

La Mesa271.5
Escondido255.8

Food Index

La Mesa114.5
Escondido114.6

Transportation Index

La Mesa128.9
Escondido129.1

Healthcare Index

La Mesa111.6
Escondido111.7

Utilities Index

La Mesa143.0
Escondido139.9

Living Wage (1 Adult)

La Mesa$77,589
Escondido$75,076

Living Wage (Family of 4)

La Mesa$183,392
Escondido$177,451

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

La Mesa$2,459
Escondido$2,459

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

La Mesa$3,001
Escondido$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

La Mesa$738,800
Escondido$663,500

Median Rent

La Mesa$1,958
Escondido$1,922

Median Property Tax

La Mesa$4,927
Escondido$4,741

Owner-Occupied

La Mesa46.0%
Escondido52.2%

Vacancy Rate

La Mesa4.7%
Escondido3.8%

Single-Family Homes

La Mesa51.6%
Escondido58.3%

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. La Mesa has a per capita income of $46,783 vs $38,098 in Escondido (23% higher).

Median Household Income

La Mesa$84,337
Escondido$84,477

Per Capita Income

La Mesa$46,783
Escondido$38,098

Poverty Rate

La Mesa11.7%
Escondido13.4%

Unemployment Rate

La Mesa6.3%
Escondido4.5%

Labor Force

La Mesa33,956
Escondido76,471

Mean Commute

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/A

Work from Home

La Mesa14.9%
Escondido12.8%

Private Sector

La Mesa84.5%
Escondido98.9%

Government Sector

La Mesa37.2%
Escondido45.6%

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)

La Mesa4.16
Escondido4.34

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

La Mesa13.79
Escondido14.85

Murder Rate (per 1K)

La Mesa0.07
Escondido0.01

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

La Mesa0.83
Escondido1.12

Assault Rate (per 1K)

La Mesa3.13
Escondido3.02

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

La Mesa2.20
Escondido2.23

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

La Mesa8.96
Escondido10.50

Violent Crime Clearance

La Mesa58.2%
Escondido61.8%

Property Crime Clearance

La Mesa14.7%
Escondido18.1%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/A

Avg Annual High

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/A

Avg Annual Low

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/A

Sunny Days per Year

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/A

Annual Rainfall

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/A

Annual Snowfall

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/A

Avg Humidity

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/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

La Mesa0
Escondido0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/A

Colleges & Universities

La Mesa0
Escondido0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

La Mesa27.6%
Escondido19.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

La Mesa39.9%
Escondido35.0%

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

La Mesa60,835
Escondido149,913

Median Age

La Mesa37
Escondido37

Avg Household Size

La Mesa2.4
Escondido2.9

Married Population

La Mesa37.2%
Escondido40.4%

Foreign Born

La Mesa14.2%
Escondido28.3%

White

La Mesa59.4%
Escondido47.1%

Black

La Mesa8.4%
Escondido2.3%

Hispanic

La Mesa27.9%
Escondido51.7%

Asian

La Mesa6.4%
Escondido7.0%

La Mesa

Escondido

Healthcare — Escondido leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

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

Nearby Hospitals

La Mesa5
Escondido5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

La Mesa3.7
Escondido3.7

With Emergency Services

La Mesa3
Escondido4

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Escondido has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.0% in La Mesa. 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

La MesaN/A
EscondidoN/A

Drive Alone

La Mesa71.4%
Escondido72.0%

Public Transit

La Mesa2.4%
Escondido1.5%

Bicycle

La Mesa0.0%
Escondido0.4%

Work from Home

La Mesa14.9%
Escondido12.8%

Airports

La Mesa0
Escondido0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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