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Compare towns

Bell vs Lawndale

12 miles apart. The biggest differences: household income (+40% in Lawndale) and home values (+32% in Lawndale).

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Bell, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 32,476 people
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Lawndale, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 30,781 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 $410 more a month in Lawndale

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.

Bell$4,040/mo
Typical home $683K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.81% · or rent about $1,575/mo · Housing →
Lawndale$4,450/mo
Typical home $775K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.60% · or rent about $1,938/mo · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Lawndale and Bell.

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.

Report cards

Lawndale places higher on 17 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
BellLawndale
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th97th
Outdoors & history
BellLawndale
Trails0 mi1 mi
Conserved land0.6%2.3%
Settled19131959
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here19—
Community
BellLawndale
Library hours a week40 hrs40 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

12 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BellLawndaleBellLawndale
Bell ↔ Lawndale12 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.

BellLawndale
People
Population 32,476Highest 30,781Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -5.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% -2.9%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 34.3±1.4Lowest 9% below CA 36.9±2Highest about the CA average
Lawndale and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.3%±2.5Highest CA: 22% 22.7%±2.3Lowest CA: 22%
Bell and Lawndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11.4%±1.5Highest CA: 15.7% 10.9%±1.3Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bell and Lawndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 9.7%Lowest CA: 37.1% 20.6%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 8.3%±1.2Highest CA: 7.6%
Lawndale and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $61,020±$5kLowest 38% below CA $85,441±$5kHighest 14% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $591,600±$32kLowest 19% below CA $781,900±$43kHighest 6% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,575±$59Lowest 23% below CA $1,938±$76Highest 5% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,770Highest 7% below CA $4,686Lowest 9% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 64%±5.3Highest CA: 55.3% 57.8%±5.9Lowest CA: 55.3%
Bell and Lawndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 21.6%Highest CA: 12% 13%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 26.5%Lowest CA: 55.9% 37%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1956Lowest 20 yrs older than CA 1967Highest 9 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 5% above CA 25 minLowest 14% below CA
Work from home 4.1%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2% 7.2%±1.7Highest CA: 17.2%
Lawndale and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 4.2%Lowest 4.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 9.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.90Highest 0.41Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (25%)Los Angeles (27%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LawndaleFew work in Bell
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.6%Lowest 2.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 5Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 99.0Lowest 148Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #131 of 574 in CA#449 of 574 in CA
School district Magnolia Science Academy Bell District · Los Angeles UnifiedCentinela Valley Union High · Lawndale Elementary
High school in town Bell Senior HighLeuzinger High
Students per teacherat that high school 20.7Lowest 22.1Highest
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.

Bell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bell’s Town Square.

Lawndale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lawndale’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Bell

Towns like Bell

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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