Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Bell Gardens vs Bell

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+25% in Bell) and jobs per worker (+80% in Bell).

×
Bell Gardens, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 38,229 people
×
Bell, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 32,476 people
Swap order
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.

Bell GardensOne of the healthiest towns
Health87% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Outdoors#201 most trails in CA4.3 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves Housing$685K typical home10% below the CA typical home All about Bell Gardens →
BellKnown for its schools
Schools#131 for schools in CAof 574 towns Outdoors#245 most walkable in CA0.0 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves Health82% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Bell →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Property tax bill+25%
Tax bills are bigger in Bell
Bell $4,770Bell Gardens $3,809
Jobs per worker+80%
Bell is more of a job hub
Bell 0.90Bell Gardens 0.50
★ What stands out · Where they are

Bell Gardens and Bell share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bell GardensBellBell GardensBell
Bell Gardens ↔ Bell1.8 miles apart · They share a border
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Safety
CBell GardensSafer than 31% of U.S. towns C−BellSafer than 21% of U.S. towns
Schools
CBell GardensBetter than 31% of districts in the state C+BellBetter than 44% of districts in the state
Health
DBell GardensHealthier than 13% of U.S. towns C−BellHealthier than 18% of U.S. towns
11Bell Gardens
11Bell

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #399#131 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #388#702 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #225#386 SafestSafety · 411 towns #196#279 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #325#455 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #415#532 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #108#222 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #288#184

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Bell Gardens’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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 Gardens$3,980/mo
Typical home $685K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.68% · or rent about $1,694/mo · Housing →
Bell$4,040/mo
Typical home $683K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.81% · or rent about $1,575/mo · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Bell and Bell Gardens.

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.

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
Bell GardensBell
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)88th80th
Outdoors & history
Bell GardensBell
Trails4 mi0 mi
Conserved land4.4%0.6%
Settled19611913
Archive photos412
Famous people born here519
Community
Bell GardensBell
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.

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.

Bell GardensBell
People
Population 38,229Highest 32,476Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.1%Lowest CA: +6.1% -5.4%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 32.3±0.9Lowest 15% below CA 34.3±1.4Highest 9% below CA
Bell and Bell Gardens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.7%±2.1Highest CA: 22% 26.3%±2.5Lowest CA: 22%
Bell Gardens and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9.6%±1.1Lowest CA: 15.7% 11.4%±1.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Bell and Bell Gardens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.1%Lowest CA: 37.1% 9.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±1Highest CA: 7.6% 6.5%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6%
Bell Gardens and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $62,298±$3kHighest 37% below CA $61,020±$5kLowest 38% below CA
Bell Gardens and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $563,900±$34kLowest 23% below CA $591,600±$32kHighest 19% below CA
Bell and Bell Gardens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,694±$43Highest 17% below CA $1,575±$59Lowest 23% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,809Lowest 26% below CA $4,770Highest 7% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.3%±5.1Lowest CA: 55.3% 64%±5.3Highest CA: 55.3%
Bell and Bell Gardens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 20%Lowest CA: 12% 21.6%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 21.2%Lowest CA: 55.9% 26.5%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1960Highest 16 yrs older than CA 1956Lowest 20 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the CA average 30 minHighest 5% above CA
Work from home 5.6%±1.4Highest CA: 17.2% 4.1%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2%
Bell Gardens and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 4.8%Highest 4.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.50Lowest 0.90Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (23%)Los Angeles (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BellFew work in Bell Gardens
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.4%Highest 0.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 103Highest 99.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #399 of 574 in CA#131 of 574 in CA
School district Montebello UnifiedMagnolia Science Academy Bell District · Los Angeles Unified
High school in town Bell Gardens HighBell Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school 19.3Lowest 20.7Highest
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 Gardens neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bell Gardens’s Town Square.

Bell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bell’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bell Gardens and Bell

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Bell Gardens

+ Compare
Commerce11,993 people · $599K homes
C
+ Compare
Cudahy22,087 people · $494K homes
+ Compare
Downey110,939 people · $797K homes

Towns like Bell Gardens

+ Compare
Huntington Park53,108 people · $573K homes
+ Compare
Maywood24,317 people · $634K homes
+ Compare
National City58,893 people · $612K homes
+ Compare
Lawndale30,781 people · $782K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Post to Bell Gardens

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in