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Compare towns

Glendale vs Alhambra

9 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (40.3× in Glendale) and conserved land (+26.2 pts in Glendale).

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Glendale, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 190,748 people
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Alhambra, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 81,022 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 $1,480 more a month in Glendale

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.

Glendale$6,790/mo
Typical home $1.18M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.61% · or rent about $2,182/mo · Housing →
Alhambra$5,310/mo
Typical home $916K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $1,939/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,480 a month, about $17,700 a year, between Glendale and Alhambra.

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

Glendale places higher on 15 of 25 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
GlendaleAlhambra
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)93rd88th
Outdoors & history
GlendaleAlhambra
Trails81 mi2 mi
Conserved land30.1%3.9%
Settled18841903
National Register places141
Archive photos2416
Famous people born here4940
Community
GlendaleAlhambra
Library hours a week66 hrs60 hrs
Colleges in town33
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.

Where they are

9 miles apart

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

GlendaleAlhambraGlendaleAlhambra
Glendale ↔ Alhambra9.2 miles apart
Who commutes between them
746 Alhambra residents work in Glendale (2.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Alhambra →
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.

GlendaleAlhambra
People
Population 190,748Highest 81,022Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.5%Highest CA: +6.1% -0.3%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 41.4±0.7Lowest 9% above CA 41.5±1Highest 9% above CA
Alhambra and Glendale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.4%±0.9Highest CA: 22% 17.1%±1.1Lowest CA: 22%
Glendale and Alhambra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19%±0.8 CA: 15.7% 19%±1.1 CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.2%Highest CA: 37.1% 40.8%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.8%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6% 7.5%±0.7Lowest CA: 7.6%
Glendale and Alhambra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,393±$3kHighest 11% below CA $88,024±$4kLowest 11% below CA
Glendale and Alhambra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,102,300±$31kHighest 50% above CA $857,800±$15kLowest 17% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,182±$34Highest 7% above CA $1,939±$39Lowest 5% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,679Highest 30% above CA $5,717Lowest 12% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.3%±2.6Highest CA: 55.3% 52.5%±3.6Lowest CA: 55.3%
Below poverty line 12.9%Highest CA: 12% 12.6%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 35.2%Lowest CA: 55.9% 41.1%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Highest 10 yrs older than CA 1960Lowest 16 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest 6% below CA 30 minHighest 6% above CA
Work from home 21.2%±1.3Highest CA: 17.2% 14.4%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 20.2%Highest 8.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 8.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.13Highest 0.72Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (37%)Los Angeles (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Alhambra2% work in Glendale
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 30.1%Highest 3.9%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 80.5 miHighest 2.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.6 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 34Highest 8Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 73.6Lowest 127Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #123 of 574 in CA—
School district Glendale UnifiedAlhambra Unified
High school in town Glendale HighMark Keppel High
Students per teacherat that high school 22.6Lowest 26.0Highest
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.

Glendale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Glendale’s Town Square.

Alhambra neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alhambra’s Town Square.

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Bordering Glendale

Towns like Glendale

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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