Population
La Mesa
60,835
La Puente
37,404
Median Income
La Mesa
$84,337
La Puente
$84,811
Home Value
La Mesa
$738,800
La Puente
$593,200
Rent
La Mesa
$1,958
La Puente
$1,788
Crime Rate
La Mesa
4.16
La Puente
4.10
Cost of Living
La Mesa
176.3
La Puente
161.2
Avg Temp
La Mesa
N/A
La Puente
N/A
Unemployment
La Mesa
6.3%
La Puente
6.2%
How Similar Are La Mesa & La Puente?
La Puente is La Mesa's #7 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
La Mesa
60,835
La Puente
37,404
La Mesa has a 39% larger population than La Puente.
Violent Crime
La Mesa
4.16
La Puente
4.10
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.
Property Crime
La Mesa
13.79
La Puente
12.90
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.
Political Leaning
La Mesa
40.2%
La Puente
31.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but La Mesa has a stronger Democratic lean (21% difference).
Unemployment
La Mesa
6.3%
La Puente
6.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 2% difference.
Median Income
La Mesa
$84,337
La Puente
$84,811
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
La Mesa
$738,800
La Puente
$593,200
La Mesa has a 20% higher home values than La Puente.
Education
La Mesa
27.6%
La Puente
8.6%
La Mesa's education is significantly higher than La Puente's — 69% difference.
Demographics
La Mesa
59.4%
La Puente
18.4%
La Mesa's demographics is significantly higher than La Puente's — 69% difference.
Cost of Living
La Mesa
176.3
La Puente
161.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. La Mesa and La Puente share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
La Mesa
0
La Puente
La Puente leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — La Puente leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLa Puente scores 229.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 271.5 in La Mesa. La Puente has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,085 vs $2,459 in La Mesa (18% lower). La Puente has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,601 vs $3,001 in La Mesa (15% lower).
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 — La Puente leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLa Puente has a vacancy rate of 2.7% compared to 4.7% in La Mesa. La Puente has a median property tax of $3,592 vs $4,927 in La Mesa (37% lower). La Puente has a single-family homes of 76.7% compared to 51.6% in La Mesa.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — La Puente leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLa Mesa has a work from home of 14.9% compared to 4.3% in La Puente. La Mesa: 33,956 vs La Puente: 19,176 for labor force. La Mesa has a per capita income of $46,783 vs $26,501 in La Puente (77% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — La Puente leads
Source: FBI UCRLa Mesa has a property crime clearance of 14.7% compared to 7.1% in La Puente. La Puente has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 6.18 compared to 8.96 in La Mesa. La Mesa has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.20 compared to 3.36 in La Puente.
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 8.6% in La Puente. La Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 39.9% compared to 29.4% in La Puente.
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 ACSLa Mesa has a population of 60,835, about 1.6x the size of La Puente (37,404).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
La Mesa
La Puente
Healthcare — La Mesa leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLa Mesa: 3.7 vs La Puente: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — La Puente leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLa Mesa has a work from home of 14.9% compared to 4.3% in La Puente. La Puente has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.0% in La Mesa. La Puente has a drive alone of 74.7% compared to 71.4% 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.