Costa Mesa, CA: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Costa Mesa ( KOH-stə MAY-sə; Spanish for 'Mesa Coast') is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city, one of the region's largest commercial clusters, with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light manufacturing. The population was 111,918 at the 2020 census.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Costa Mesa ranks

All →

#144Shortest commute in CA #146Closest to a top hospital in CA #183Most remote workers in CA All CA rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code92626, 92627, 92628

Area code949

Living in Costa Mesa

Housing in Costa Mesa

$1.41M▲ 6.3% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Costa Mesa home is worth about $1,412,000, up 6.3% in a year, 85% above the California typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market39

Sale-to-list99%

Sold in May46

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Costa Mesa

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Not graded

A grade needs all of the FBI's latest years (2023–2025). Costa Mesa's police department reported only 2024 and 2025, so we don't grade it yet. The figures below are still real.

Violent crime per 1,000

Costa Mesa 5.4

California 4.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Costa Mesa 20.8

California 18.2

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Costa Mesa

Compared with California

8better than CA·1worse

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 23 are too close to call.

Conditions 6▲ 6 close Habits 1▼ 3 close Care all close Mind 1▲ 4 close Everyday needs 1▲ 3 close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

9.3%Fewer adults with diabetesCA 11.7% · better 2.5%Fewer adults who have had a strokeCA 3.1% · better 18.1%More binge drinkersCA 15.3% · worse

Care nearby

Hoag Memorial Hospital PresbyterianNewport Beach · 3 mi · ER

Saint Youstina - Costa MesaCosta Mesa · 0.9 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careNo shortage

DentalNo shortage

Mental healthNo shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Costa Mesa · CMS · HRSAHealth in Costa Mesa →

Schools in Costa Mesa

All Costa Mesa schools →

A⁻

School Grade A-

The public schools Costa Mesa’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 84% of California’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.

See how Costa Mesa’s schools compare in CA →

DistrictNewport-Mesa UnifiedSchools39

Maude B. Davis Elementary BElementary · Grades K–6 · 570 students Heinz Kaiser Elementary B-Elementary · Grades 3–6 · 539 students Woodland ElementaryElementary · Grades K–2 · 487 students College Park Elementary C-Elementary · Grades K–6 · 473 students Killybrooke Elementary CElementary · Grades K–6 · 473 students Whittier Elementary C-Elementary · Grades K–6 · 454 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within CA. Ratings are from neighbors.