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Commerce vs Bell Gardens

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (18.2× in Commerce) and trails (6.1× in Bell Gardens).

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Commerce, CAOne of the safest townsCalifornia · 11,993 people
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Bell Gardens, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 38,229 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.

CommerceOne of the safest towns
SafetySafer than 0%of U.S. towns we grade Health66% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Work44,133 jobsbased in Commerce, a regional job hub All about Commerce →
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 →
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.

Jobs per worker18.2×
Commerce is more of a job hub
Commerce 9.08Bell Gardens 0.50
Trails6.1×
Bell Gardens has more miles of trail
Bell Gardens 4.3 miCommerce 0.7 mi
Homeowners+33.8 pts renters
Bell Gardens has more renters
Commerce 55%Bell Gardens 21.2%
Size3.2×
Bell Gardens is the bigger place
Bell Gardens 38,229Commerce 11,993
Household income+24%
Households in Commerce earn more
Commerce $77,064Bell Gardens $62,298
Age 65++8.4 pts
Commerce has more people 65 and up
Commerce 18%Bell Gardens 9.6%
★ What stands out · Report cards

Commerce places higher on 13 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.

Safety
D−CommerceSafer than 0% of U.S. towns CBell GardensSafer than 31% of U.S. towns
Schools
CCommerceBetter than 31% of districts in the state CBell GardensBetter than 31% of districts in the state
Health
CCommerceHealthier than 34% of U.S. towns DBell GardensHealthier than 13% of U.S. towns
13Commerce
8Bell Gardens

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

SafestSafety · 411 towns #410#196 Fewest smokersHealth · 844 towns #424#730 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #665#388 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #478#223 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #99#288 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #502#666 Most remote workersWork · 801 towns #539#679 HealthiestHealth · 844 towns #627#774

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

Where they are

Commerce and Bell Gardens share a border

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

CommerceBell GardensCommerceBell Gardens
Commerce ↔ Bell Gardens2.1 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
606 Bell Gardens residents work in Commerce (4.4% of its workers)
79 Commerce residents work in Bell Gardens (1.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Bell Gardens →
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.

Commerce$4,000/mo
Typical home $691K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,549/mo · Housing →
Bell Gardens$3,980/mo
Typical home $685K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.68% · or rent about $1,694/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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
CommerceBell Gardens
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th88th
Outdoors & history
CommerceBell Gardens
Trails1 mi4 mi
Conserved land0.9%4.4%
Settled19601961
Archive photos214
Famous people born here65
Community
CommerceBell Gardens
Library hours a week43 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.

CommerceBell Gardens
People
Population 11,993Lowest 38,229Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3.5%Highest CA: +6.1% -6.1%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 35.6±2.9Highest 6% below CA 32.3±0.9Lowest 15% below CA
Commerce and Bell Gardens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.9%±3.2Lowest CA: 22% 27.7%±2.1Highest CA: 22%
Bell Gardens and Commerce are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 18%±3.2Highest CA: 15.7% 9.6%±1.1Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 11%Highest CA: 37.1% 7.1%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 9.8%±2.9Highest CA: 7.6% 6.8%±1Lowest CA: 7.6%
Commerce and Bell Gardens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $77,064±$8kHighest 22% below CA $62,298±$3kLowest 37% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $598,700±$28kHighest 19% below CA $563,900±$34kLowest 23% below CA
Commerce and Bell Gardens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,549±$146Lowest 24% below CA $1,694±$43Highest 17% below CA
Bell Gardens and Commerce are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,915Highest 24% below CA $3,809Lowest 26% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.7%±11.6Lowest CA: 55.3% 56.3%±5.1Highest CA: 55.3%
Bell Gardens and Commerce are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.4%Lowest CA: 12% 20%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 55%Highest CA: 55.9% 21.2%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957Lowest 19 yrs older than CA 1960Highest 16 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest 5% below CA 28 minHighest about the CA average
Work from home 9.1%±3.5Highest CA: 17.2% 5.6%±1.4Lowest CA: 17.2%
Commerce and Bell Gardens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 11.8%Highest 4.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 8.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 9.08Highest 0.50Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (25%)Los Angeles (23%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Bell Gardens4% work in Commerce
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.9%Lowest 4.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miLowest 4.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4 4
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 62.7Lowest 103Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #467 of 574 in CA#399 of 574 in CA
School district Montebello Unified · Los Angeles County Office of EducationMontebello Unified
High school in town Kirby Dorothy CampBell Gardens High
Students per teacherat that high school 8.8Lowest 19.3Highest
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.

Commerce neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Commerce’s Town Square.

Bell Gardens neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bell Gardens’s Town Square.

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Bordering Commerce

M
+ Compare
Montebello61,045 people · $698K homes
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East Los Angeles111,647 people · $643K homes
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Bell32,476 people · $592K homes
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Vernon331 people · $917K homes

Towns like Commerce

S
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South El Monte19,287 people · $601K homes
W
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Waterford9,204 people · $402K homes
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Exeter10,258 people · $308K homes
+ Compare
Tehachapi11,946 people · $356K 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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