Population
La Mesa
60,835
Vista
98,646
Median Income
La Mesa
$84,337
Vista
$91,854
Home Value
La Mesa
$738,800
Vista
$674,400
Rent
La Mesa
$1,958
Vista
$2,148
Crime Rate
La Mesa
4.16
Vista
3.16
Cost of Living
La Mesa
176.3
Vista
178.2
Avg Temp
La Mesa
N/A
Vista
N/A
Unemployment
La Mesa
6.3%
Vista
6.4%
How Similar Are La Mesa & Vista?
Vista is La Mesa's #18 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
La Mesa
60,835
Vista
98,646
Vista has a 38% larger population than La Mesa.
Violent Crime
La Mesa
4.16
Vista
3.16
La Mesa has a 24% higher violent crime than Vista.
Property Crime
La Mesa
13.79
Vista
8.64
La Mesa has a 37% higher property crime than Vista.
Political Leaning
La Mesa
40.2%
Vista
40.2%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
La Mesa
6.3%
Vista
6.4%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 0% difference.
Median Income
La Mesa
$84,337
Vista
$91,854
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
La Mesa
$738,800
Vista
$674,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
La Mesa
27.6%
Vista
17.8%
La Mesa has a 36% higher education than Vista.
Demographics
La Mesa
59.4%
Vista
50.3%
La Mesa has a 15% higher demographics than Vista.
Cost of Living
La Mesa
176.3
Vista
178.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. La Mesa and Vista share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
La Mesa
0
Vista
Vista leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — La Mesa leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDVista scores 118.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 128.9 in La Mesa. La Mesa scores 114.5 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 120.2 in Vista. La Mesa scores 111.6 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 116.2 in Vista.
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 — Vista leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSVista has a vacancy rate of 3.9% compared to 4.7% in La Mesa. La Mesa has a median home value of $738,800 vs $674,400 in Vista (10% higher). Vista has a single-family homes of 56.9% compared to 51.6% in La Mesa.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Vista leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSVista: 53,035 vs La Mesa: 33,956 for labor force. La Mesa has a per capita income of $46,783 vs $39,560 in Vista (18% higher). Vista has a government sector of 44.2% compared to 37.2% 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 — Vista leads
Source: FBI UCRVista has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.07 in La Mesa. Vista has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.24 compared to 2.20 in La Mesa. Vista has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.51 compared to 0.83 in La Mesa.
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 17.8% in Vista. La Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 39.9% compared to 32.3% in Vista.
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 ACSVista has a population of 98,646, about 1.6x the size of La Mesa (60,835). Vista skews younger with a median age of 34.9 vs 37.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
La Mesa
Vista
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareVista: 4 vs La Mesa: 3 for with emergency services. La Mesa: 3.7 vs Vista: 3.0 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 ACSLa Mesa has a public transit of 2.4% compared to 0.9% in Vista. Vista has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in La Mesa. La Mesa has a work from home of 14.9% compared to 13.2% in Vista.
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.