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.

Down paymentRate%

Fullerton$6,000/mo

Typical home $1.04M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $2,194/mo · Housing →

Tustin$6,750/mo

Typical home $1.16M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71% · or rent about $2,449/mo · Housing →

The difference: $760 a month, about $9,100 a year, between Tustin and Fullerton.

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

Tustin places higher on 12 of 23 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

C−FullertonSafer than 21% of U.S. towns CTustinSafer than 30% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−FullertonBetter than 80% of districts in the state A−TustinBetter than 83% of districts in the state

Health

B+FullertonHealthier than 73% of U.S. towns A−TustinHealthier than 77% of U.S. towns

8Fullerton

12Tustin

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #558#157 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #407#102 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #12#257 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #164#291 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #370#283 SafestSafety · 411 towns #282#205 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #292#408 Most remote workersWork · 801 towns #348#234

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Fullerton’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

FullertonTustin

Snow a year0″0″

January low—49°F

July high—83°F

Growing season (days)—365d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th 88th

Outdoors & history

FullertonTustin

Trails39 mi 20 mi

Conserved land8.1%4%

Settled1887 —

National Register places23 4

Archive photos—19

Famous people born here—17

Community

FullertonTustin

Library hours a week36 hrs 60 hrs

Colleges in town5 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

13 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

FullertonTustin

Fullerton ↔ Tustin13 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.

Only big differences vs California average

FullertonTustin

People

Population 140,968Highest 78,981Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.3% CA: +6.1% +6.3% CA: +6.1%

Median age 36.9±0.8Lowest about the CA average 37.5±1.3Highest about the CA average

Tustin and Fullerton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 22.1%±1.2Lowest CA: 22% 22.5%±1.6Highest CA: 22%

Tustin and Fullerton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 15.2%±0.8Highest CA: 15.7% 13.1%±1.3Lowest CA: 15.7%

Fullerton and Tustin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 43.5%Lowest CA: 37.1% 47.4%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 10.1%±0.7Highest CA: 7.6% 8.9%±0.9Lowest CA: 7.6%

Fullerton and Tustin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $104,286±$3kLowest 5% above CA $112,503±$6kHighest 13% above CA

Tustin and Fullerton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $902,600±$13kLowest 23% above CA $950,400±$31kHighest 29% above CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,194±$37Lowest 8% above CA $2,449±$57Highest 20% above CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,697Lowest 11% above CA $6,725Highest 31% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.4%±3.7Highest CA: 55.3% 61.6%±4.8Lowest CA: 55.3%

Fullerton and Tustin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 12.3%Highest CA: 12% 9.9%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 51.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 48.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1969Lowest 7 yrs older than CA 1983Highest 7 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 6% above CA 23 minLowest 21% below CA

Work from home 14.9%±1.2Lowest CA: 17.2% 19.2%±1.9Highest CA: 17.2%

Work in townworking residents 10.4%Highest 7.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miHighest 9.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.97Lowest 1.37Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Anaheim (10%)Irvine (17%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in TustinFew work in Fullerton

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 8.1%Highest 4%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 39.1 miHighest 19.8 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 mi 1.8 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 45Highest 23Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 114Lowest 132Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #164 of 574 in CA #291 of 574 in CA

School district Fullerton Elementary · Fullerton Joint Union HighTustin Unified

High school in town Troy HighTustin High

Students per teacherat that high school 23.2Lowest 23.9Highest

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.

Fullerton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fullerton’s Town Square.

Tustin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tustin’s Town Square.

Add a town

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

Bordering Fullerton

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Brea47,469 people · $922K homes

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Anaheim344,521 people · $831K homes

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La Habra61,970 people · $782K homes

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Buena Park82,871 people · $839K homes

Towns like Fullerton

+ Compare

Orange138,266 people · $946K homes

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San Buenaventura (Ventura)109,857 people · $827K homes

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Oceanside172,242 people · $770K homes

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Hayward158,801 people · $854K 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.

Fullerton vs Tustin

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $760 more a month in Tustin

Tustin places higher on 12 of 23 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

13 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Fullerton and Tustin

Bordering Fullerton

Towns like Fullerton

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