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Carson vs West Carson

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (4.3× in Carson) and size (4.2× in Carson).

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Carson, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 92,871 people
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West Carson, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 22,143 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 $530 more a month in Carson

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.

Carson$4,530/mo
Typical home $786K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $1,956/mo · Housing →
West Carson$3,990/mo
Typical home $690K (Census) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $1,891/mo · Housing →

The difference: $530 a month, about $6,400 a year, between Carson and West Carson.

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.

Where they are

Carson and West Carson share a border

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

CarsonWest CarsonCarsonWest Carson
Carson ↔ West Carson2.8 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
352 West Carson residents work in Carson (3.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in West Carson →
Report cards

West Carson places higher on 14 of 19 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
CarsonWest Carson
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th92nd
Outdoors & history
CarsonWest Carson
Trails3 mi1 mi
Conserved land2.6%1%
Settled1968—
Archive photos11—
Famous people born here41—
Community
CarsonWest Carson
Library hours a week40 hrs—
Colleges in town1—
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.

CarsonWest Carson
People
Population 92,871Highest 22,143Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.2%Lowest CA: +6.1% +5.4%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 41.7±1Lowest 10% above CA 45.2±2.7Highest 19% above CA
West Carson and Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.1%±1.3Highest CA: 22% 16.5%±2.1Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 18.5%±1.1Lowest CA: 15.7% 24.5%±2.3Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.3%Lowest CA: 37.1% 36.9%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.4%±0.8 CA: 7.6% 6.4%±1.1 CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $108,703±$4kHighest 10% above CA $92,775±$11kLowest 6% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $704,400±$14kHighest 4% below CA $689,700±$49kLowest 6% below CA
Carson and West Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,956±$109Highest 4% below CA $1,891±$158Lowest 7% below CA
Carson and West Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,361Lowest 15% below CA $4,526Highest 12% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.9%±5.1Lowest CA: 55.3% 58.7%±8.3Highest CA: 55.3%
West Carson and Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.7% CA: 12% 8.7% CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74%Highest CA: 55.9% 70.7%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Lowest 10 yrs older than CA 1973Highest 3 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest 4% below CA 27 minLowest 7% below CA
Work from home 8.7%±0.9Lowest CA: 17.2% 12.8%±2.6Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 6.9%Highest 2.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 11.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.29Highest 0.50Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (25%)Los Angeles (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in West Carson3% work in Carson
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.6%Highest 1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.0 miHighest 0.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 15Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 88.0Lowest 129Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #124 of 574 in CA—
School district Magnolia Science Academy 3 District · Compton UnifiedLos Angeles Unified
High school in town Carson Senior HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 18.5 —
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.

Carson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Carson’s Town Square.

West Carson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to West Carson’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Carson and West Carson

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

Bordering Carson

Towns like Carson

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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