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Burbank vs Pasadena

11 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (2.1× in Burbank) and trails (+83% in Pasadena).

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Burbank, CAA regional job hubCalifornia · 104,546 people
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Pasadena, CAA history townCalifornia · 136,969 people
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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.

BurbankA regional job hub
Work178,649 jobsbased in Burbank, a regional job hub Outdoors#118 most conserved land in CA22 miles of trails across 28 parks and preserves Schools#113 for schools in CAof 574 towns All about Burbank →
PasadenaA history town
HistorySettled in 1886124 places on the National Register College town9 collegesPasadena City College Work100,504 jobsbased in Pasadena, a regional job hub All about Pasadena →
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.

Jobs per worker2.1×
Burbank is more of a job hub
Burbank 3.71Pasadena 1.76
Trails+83%
Pasadena has more miles of trail
Pasadena 39.8 miBurbank 21.7 mi
Bachelor’s degree++9 pts
More adults in Pasadena have a degree
Pasadena 56.1%Burbank 47.1%
★ What stands out · 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.

Burbank$6,720/mo
Typical home $1.18M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $2,192/mo · Housing →
Pasadena$6,850/mo
Typical home $1.19M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $2,265/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,500 a year, between Pasadena and Burbank.

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

Burbank places higher on 17 of 26 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.

Safety
DBurbankSafer than 14% of U.S. towns DPasadenaSafer than 13% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−BurbankBetter than 75% of districts in the state B+PasadenaBetter than 67% of districts in the state
Health
A−BurbankHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns A−PasadenaHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns
17Burbank
9Pasadena

Lists won, of 26 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #211#599 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #297#135 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #420#99 Most-used librariesLibraries · 117 towns #29#61 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #438#582 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #305#199 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #347#252 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #241#328

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

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
BurbankPasadena
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)94th91st
Outdoors & history
BurbankPasadena
Trails22 mi40 mi
Conserved land20.3%13.5%
Settled18871886
National Register places3124
Archive photos636
Famous people born here47—
Community
BurbankPasadena
Library hours a week58 hrs54 hrs
Colleges in town29
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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

11 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

BurbankPasadenaBurbankPasadena
Burbank ↔ Pasadena11 miles apart
Who commutes between them
3,161 Pasadena residents work in Burbank (5.5% of its workers)
1,047 Burbank residents work in Pasadena (2.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Pasadena →
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.

BurbankPasadena
People
Population 104,546Lowest 136,969Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.9%Highest CA: +6.1% +1.2%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 40.1±1 6% above CA 40.1±0.6 6% above CA
Kids under 18 19.1%±1.3Highest CA: 22% 16.7%±0.9Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 16.3%±1Lowest CA: 15.7% 17.4%±0.8Highest CA: 15.7%
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.1%Lowest CA: 37.1% 56.1%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.5%±0.9Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.7%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6%
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $97,082±$5kLowest about the CA average $105,192±$3kHighest 6% above CA
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,089,100±$22kLowest 48% above CA $1,093,300±$25kHighest 49% above CA
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,192±$51Lowest 8% above CA $2,265±$38Highest 11% above CA
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,106Lowest 19% above CA $6,843Highest 34% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.4%±3.8Highest CA: 55.3% 52.9%±2.9Lowest CA: 55.3%
Burbank and Pasadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 10.7%Lowest CA: 12% 13.3%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 43.3%Highest CA: 55.9% 42.5%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1959Lowest 17 yrs older than CA 1961Highest 15 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 9% below CA 27 minHighest 6% below CA
Work from home 30.4%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2% 27.6%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2%
Burbank and Pasadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 24.7%Highest 20.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 10.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 3.71Highest 1.76Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (40%)Los Angeles (29%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Pasadena6% work in Burbank
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 20.3%Highest 13.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 21.7 miLowest 39.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.3 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 28Lowest 31Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 83.0Lowest 98.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #113 of 574 in CA#150 of 574 in CA
School district Burbank UnifiedLearning Works District · Pasadena Rosebud Academy District
High school in town Burbank HighOptions For Youth - Duarte Inc
Students per teacherat that high school 25.5Lowest 28.0Highest
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.

Burbank neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Burbank’s Town Square.

Pasadena neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 4d

Living in Pasadena

1 neighbor in Pasadena can answer.

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Bordering Burbank

L
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Los Angeles3,857,263 people · $921K homes
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Glendale190,748 people · $1.1M homes

Towns like Burbank

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Costa Mesa110,330 people · $1.12M homes
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Santa Barbara87,779 people · $1.57M homes
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Tustin78,981 people · $950K homes
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Alhambra81,022 people · $858K homes

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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