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Escondido vs Del Dios

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (394.9× in Escondido) and jobs per worker (3.8× in Escondido).

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Escondido, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 149,668 people
D ×
Del Dios, CAA small town of 379California · 379 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.

EscondidoAn outdoors town
Outdoors#89 most conserved land in CA53 miles of trails across 16 parks and preserves Famous people52 notable peopleborn in Escondido College town2 collegesJohn Paul the Great Catholic University All about Escondido →
Del DiosA small town of 379
Quiet strengthsDel Dios doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Del Dios →
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.

Size394.9×
Escondido is the bigger place
Escondido 149,668Del Dios 379
Jobs per worker3.8×
Escondido is more of a job hub
Escondido 0.76Del Dios 0.20
Median age20.3 yrs
Del Dios skews older
Del Dios 57.2Escondido 36.9
Street grid2.8×
Del Dios has the more walkable street grid
Del Dios 211Escondido 76.4
Age 65++21 pts
Del Dios has more people 65 and up
Del Dios 35.4%Escondido 14.4%
Conserved land+25.5 pts
Escondido has more conserved land
Escondido 25.5%Del Dios 0%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $630 more a month in Del Dios

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.

Escondido$4,900/mo
Typical home $842K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.69% · or rent about $2,046/mo · Housing →
Del Dios$5,530/mo
Typical home $969K (Census) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $2,706/mo · Housing →

The difference: $630 a month, about $7,600 a year, between Del Dios and Escondido.

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

Escondido and Del Dios share a border

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

EscondidoDel DiosEscondidoDel Dios
Escondido ↔ Del Dios4.7 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
23 Del Dios residents work in Escondido (11.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Del Dios →
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
CEscondidoSafer than 28% of U.S. towns –Del DiosNot graded
Schools
B−EscondidoBetter than 50% of districts in the state –Del DiosNot graded
Health
BEscondidoHealthier than 55% of U.S. towns –Del DiosNot graded
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
EscondidoDel Dios
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)78th69th
Outdoors & history
EscondidoDel Dios
Trails53 mi—
Conserved land25.5%—
Settled1888—
National Register places5—
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here52—
Community
EscondidoDel Dios
Library hours a week58 hrs—
Colleges in town2—
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.

EscondidoDel Dios
People
Population 149,668Highest 379Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5% CA: +6.1% —
Median age 36.9±0.7Lowest about the CA average 57.2±9.7Highest 51% above CA
Kids under 18 22.7%±1Highest CA: 22% 10%±12.8Lowest CA: 22%
Escondido and Del Dios are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.4%±0.8Lowest CA: 15.7% 35.4%±9.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28.9%Lowest CA: 37.1% 44%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6% 1.6%±4.5Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $91,967±$4k 7% below CA —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $714,500±$20kLowest about the CA average $968,800±$190kHighest 32% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,046±$61Lowest about the CA average $2,706±$1kHighest 33% above CA
Del Dios and Escondido are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,898Lowest 4% below CA $5,417Highest 6% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.2%±3.4Highest CA: 55.3% 37.9%±51.3Lowest CA: 55.3%
Escondido and Del Dios are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.2%Highest CA: 12% 4.2%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 53.4%Lowest CA: 55.9% 66.5%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 5 yrs newer than CA 1944Lowest 32 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest 4% below CA 39 minHighest 37% above CA
Work from home 13.9%±1.2Lowest CA: 17.2% 24%±20.4Highest CA: 17.2%
Del Dios and Escondido are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 17.2%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miHighest 13.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.76Highest 0.20Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town San Diego (24%)San Diego (39%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Del Dios12% work in Escondido
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 25.5%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 52.9 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.4 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 76.4Lowest 211Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #200 of 574 in CA—
School district Community Montessori District · Classical Academy District—
High school in town San Pasqual High—
Students per teacherat that high school 20.3 —
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.

Escondido neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Escondido’s Town Square.

Del Dios neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Del Dios’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Escondido

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San Diego1,389,526 people · $907K homes
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San Marcos94,882 people · $868K homes
H
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Harmony Grove2,585 people · $1.23M homes

Towns like Escondido

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Downey110,939 people · $797K homes
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Richmond115,505 people · $668K homes
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Vista99,114 people · $762K homes
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Garden Grove170,964 people · $814K 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.

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