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Compare towns

Fontana vs Lancaster

57 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.1× in Fontana) and home values (+31% in Fontana).

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Fontana, CAHometown of 88 notable peopleCalifornia · 214,169 people
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Lancaster, CAHomes around $462KCalifornia · 169,169 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 $980 more a month in Fontana

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.

Fontana$3,750/mo
Typical home $634K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.82% · or rent about $1,839/mo · Housing →
Lancaster$2,770/mo
Typical home $462K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,764/mo · Housing →

The difference: $980 a month, about $11,800 a year, between Fontana and Lancaster.

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

Fontana places higher on 15 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.

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
FontanaLancaster
Snow a year0″0″
January low44°F35°F
July high94°F98°F
Growing season (days)365d248d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)93rd87th
Outdoors & history
FontanaLancaster
Conserved land4.3%0.7%
Settled19131977
National Register places21
Archive photos2412
Famous people born here8844
Community
FontanaLancaster
Library hours a week48 hrs40 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

57 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Fontana ↔ Lancaster57 miles apart
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.

FontanaLancaster
People
Population 214,169Highest 169,169Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.3%Lowest CA: +6.1% +10.8%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 33.8±0.6Lowest 11% below CA 34.5±0.8Highest 9% below CA
Lancaster and Fontana are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.3%±1Highest CA: 22% 26.7%±1.2Lowest CA: 22%
Fontana and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9.7%±0.5Lowest CA: 15.7% 12.1%±0.7Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.4%Highest CA: 37.1% 20%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.4%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6% 7.1%±0.6Lowest CA: 7.6%
Fontana and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $102,821±$3kHighest 4% above CA $81,511±$3kLowest 18% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $586,800±$6kHighest 20% below CA $446,600±$7kLowest 39% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,839±$51Highest 10% below CA $1,764±$45Lowest 13% below CA
Fontana and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,801Highest 6% below CA $4,074Lowest 20% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.6%±3.8Lowest CA: 55.3% 61.3%±3.5Highest CA: 55.3%
Below poverty line 9.9%Lowest CA: 12% 15.6%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 60.4%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1989Highest 13 yrs newer than CA 1986Lowest 10 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 16% above CA 31 minLowest 7% above CA
Work from home 13%±1.1Highest CA: 17.2% 9.8%±1.1Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 9.4%Lowest 25.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miLowest 36.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.63Lowest 0.73Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Ontario (8%)Los Angeles (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LancasterFew work in Fontana
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.3%Highest 0.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 36.5 miLowest 71.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 mi 0.8 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 53Highest 14Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 91.1Highest 42.8Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #330 of 574 in CA#464 of 574 in CA
School district Options for Youth-Acton District · Entrepreneur High Fontana DistrictMission Academy District · Empower Generations District
High school in town Summit HighQuartz Hill High
Students per teacherat that high school 24.6Lowest 27.7Highest
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.

Fontana neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Fontana's Size and Heart

1 neighbor in Fontana can answer.

Lancaster neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lancaster’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Fontana and Lancaster

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Bordering Fontana

Towns like Fontana

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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