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Compare towns

Arcadia vs Dana Point

50 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (+42% in Dana Point) and work from home (+9 pts in Dana Point).

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Arcadia, CAHomes around $1.38MCalifornia · 55,170 people
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Dana Point, CAHomes around $1.76MCalifornia · 32,790 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $2,210 more a month in Dana Point

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Arcadia$8,040/mo
Typical home $1.38M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.69%+ · or rent about $2,191/mo · Housing →
Dana Point$10,250/mo
Typical home $1.76M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71% · or rent about $3,106/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,210 a month, about $26,500 a year, between Dana Point and Arcadia.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Report cards

Dana Point places higher on 11 of 22 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
ArcadiaDana Point
Snow a year0″0″
January low46°F50°F
July high89°F72°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)93rd80th
Outdoors & history
ArcadiaDana Point
Trails10 mi8 mi
Conserved land7.8%8.7%
Settled—1989
National Register places11
Archive photos184
Famous people born here4010
Community
ArcadiaDana Point
Library hours a week60 hrs60 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

50 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Arcadia ↔ Dana Point50 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

ArcadiaDana Point
People
Population 55,170Highest 32,790Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.6%Highest CA: +6.1% -0.7%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 43.9±1.1Lowest 16% above CA 47.4±1.3Highest 25% above CA
Kids under 18 20.9%±1.7Highest CA: 22% 16.5%±2.3Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 20.6%±1.5Lowest CA: 15.7% 22.3%±1.9Highest CA: 15.7%
Dana Point and Arcadia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 57.4%Highest CA: 37.1% 56.6%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.9%±1.2Highest CA: 7.6% 7%±1.2Lowest CA: 7.6%
Arcadia and Dana Point are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $113,516±$10kLowest 15% above CA $141,520±$12kHighest 43% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,441,800±$74kHighest 96% above CA $1,320,300±$91kLowest 80% above CA
Arcadia and Dana Point are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,191±$68Lowest 8% above CA $3,106±$167Highest 53% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+Highest at least 95% above CA $9,432Lowest 84% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 58.5%±5.7Highest CA: 55.3% 52.6%±6.4Lowest CA: 55.3%
Arcadia and Dana Point are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.6%Highest CA: 12% 7.2%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.1%Lowest CA: 55.9% 62.4%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Lowest 11 yrs older than CA 1979Highest 3 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minLowest about the CA average 30 minHighest 5% above CA
Work from home 22.7%±2.8Lowest CA: 17.2% 31.7%±3.4Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 10.5%Highest 7.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miLowest 17.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.15Highest 0.80Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (22%)Irvine (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Dana PointFew work in Arcadia
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.8%Lowest 8.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 10.3 miHighest 7.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miLowest 1.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 18 18
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 95.0Lowest 160Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #237 of 574 in CA#153 of 574 in CA
School district Arcadia UnifiedCapistrano Unified
High school in town Arcadia HighDana Hills High
Students per teacherat that high school 24.7Highest 21.6Lowest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Arcadia neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Arcadia’s Town Square.

Dana Point neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dana Point’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Arcadia

Towns like Arcadia

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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