Population
San Luis Obispo
48,039
La Mesa
60,835
Median Income
San Luis Obispo
$66,711
La Mesa
$84,337
Home Value
San Luis Obispo
$896,500
La Mesa
$738,800
Rent
San Luis Obispo
$1,906
La Mesa
$1,958
Crime Rate
San Luis Obispo
4.24
La Mesa
4.16
Cost of Living
San Luis Obispo
174.0
La Mesa
176.3
Avg Temp
San Luis Obispo
N/A
La Mesa
N/A
Unemployment
San Luis Obispo
6.7%
La Mesa
6.3%
How Similar Are San Luis Obispo & La Mesa?
La Mesa is San Luis Obispo's #2 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
San Luis Obispo
48,039
La Mesa
60,835
La Mesa has a 21% larger population than San Luis Obispo.
Violent Crime
San Luis Obispo
4.24
La Mesa
4.16
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.
Property Crime
San Luis Obispo
26.69
La Mesa
13.79
San Luis Obispo has a 48% higher property crime than La Mesa.
Political Leaning
San Luis Obispo
43.1%
La Mesa
40.2%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 7% difference.
Unemployment
San Luis Obispo
6.7%
La Mesa
6.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
San Luis Obispo
$66,711
La Mesa
$84,337
La Mesa has a 21% higher median income than San Luis Obispo.
Home Values
San Luis Obispo
$896,500
La Mesa
$738,800
San Luis Obispo has a 18% higher home values than La Mesa.
Education
San Luis Obispo
28.4%
La Mesa
27.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
San Luis Obispo
75.9%
La Mesa
59.4%
San Luis Obispo has a 22% higher demographics than La Mesa.
Cost of Living
San Luis Obispo
174.0
La Mesa
176.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. San Luis Obispo and La Mesa share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
San Luis Obispo
0
La Mesa
La Mesa leads in 2 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — San Luis Obispo leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSan Luis Obispo has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,914 vs $2,459 in La Mesa (22% lower). San Luis Obispo scores 102.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 128.9 in La Mesa. San Luis Obispo has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,512 vs $3,001 in La Mesa (16% 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLa Mesa has a vacancy rate of 4.7% compared to 8.2% in San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo has a median home value of $896,500 vs $738,800 in La Mesa (21% higher). La Mesa has a owner-occupied of 46.0% compared to 39.0% in San Luis Obispo.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — La Mesa leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLa Mesa has a poverty rate of 11.7% compared to 30.0% in San Luis Obispo. La Mesa has a median household income of $84,337 vs $66,711 in San Luis Obispo (21% higher). La Mesa: 33,956 vs San Luis Obispo: 27,661 for labor force.
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 UCRLa Mesa has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 8.96 compared to 21.96 in San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.07 in La Mesa. La Mesa has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 13.79 compared to 26.69 in San Luis Obispo.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLa Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 39.9% compared to 35.0% in San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 28.4% compared to 27.6% in La Mesa.
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 1.3x the size of San Luis Obispo (48,039). San Luis Obispo skews younger with a median age of 26.2 vs 37.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
San Luis Obispo
La Mesa
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSan Luis Obispo: 5 vs La Mesa: 3 for with emergency services. La Mesa: 3.7 vs San Luis Obispo: 2.6 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 1.4% in San Luis Obispo. La Mesa has a drive alone of 71.4% compared to 64.0% in San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo has a work from home of 15.9% compared to 14.9% in La Mesa.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to San Luis Obispo, CA
Compare San Luis Obispo 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.