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%

Lake Forest$6,790/mo

Typical home $1.18M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $2,672/mo · Housing →

Folsom$4,470/mo

Typical home $753K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.82% · or rent about $2,352/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,330 a month, about $27,900 a year, between Lake Forest and Folsom.

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

Folsom 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

BLake ForestSafer than 63% of U.S. towns C+FolsomSafer than 44% of U.S. towns

Schools

ALake ForestBetter than 87% of districts in the state B+FolsomBetter than 66% of districts in the state

Health

ALake ForestHealthier than 87% of U.S. towns AFolsomHealthier than 93% of U.S. towns

10Lake Forest

12Folsom

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

Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #362#51 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #85#406 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #164#6 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #184#420 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #119#303 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #105#294 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #192#5 Most activeHealth · 844 towns #198#48

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

Lake ForestFolsom

Snow a year0″0″

January low43°F —

July high85°F —

Growing season (days)365d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)82nd 51st

Outdoors & history

Lake ForestFolsom

Trails41 mi 38 mi

Conserved land20.3%16.4%

Settled1991 —

National Register places1 5

Archive photos2 17

Famous people born here13 21

Community

Lake ForestFolsom

Library hours a week60 hrs 39 hrs

Colleges in town—1

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

397 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Lake ForestCA FolsomCA

Lake Forest ↔ Folsom397 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

Lake ForestFolsom

People

Population 86,281Highest 83,916Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +11.1%Lowest CA: +6.1% +11.4%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 40.2±1.1Lowest 6% above CA 41±0.9Highest 8% above CA

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

Kids under 18 21.3%±1.5Lowest CA: 22% 22.7%±1.3Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 14.8%±1.1 CA: 15.7% 14.8%±1 CA: 15.7%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 50.8%Lowest CA: 37.1% 54.9%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.6%±1Highest CA: 7.6% 6.4%±0.8Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $135,175±$5kLowest 36% above CA $139,804±$11kHighest 41% above CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $937,000±$27kHighest 28% above CA $755,200±$18kLowest about the CA average

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,672±$114Highest 31% above CA $2,352±$47Lowest 16% above CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,812Lowest 13% above CA $6,212Highest 21% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.3%±6.7Highest CA: 55.3% 46.8%±4.2Lowest CA: 55.3%

Below poverty line 8.5%Highest CA: 12% 5.3%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 70.5%Highest CA: 55.9% 69.7%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1984Lowest 8 yrs newer than CA 1997Highest 21 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 11% below CA 27 minHighest 7% below CA

Work from home 24.4%±1.8Lowest CA: 17.2% 31%±2.7Highest CA: 17.2%

Work in townworking residents 7.9%Lowest 20.9%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miLowest 14.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.82Lowest 1.26Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Irvine (19%)Sacramento (17%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in FolsomFew work in Lake Forest

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 20.3%Highest 16.4%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 41.0 miHighest 37.8 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.5 miHighest 1.3 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 42Lowest 50Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 128Highest 90.8Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #85 of 574 in CA #406 of 574 in CA

School district Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley District · Saddleback Valley UnifiedFolsom-Cordova Unified

High school in town El Toro HighFolsom High

Students per teacherat that high school 21.5Lowest 24.7Highest

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.

Lake Forest neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lake Forest’s Town Square.

Folsom neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Folsom’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lake Forest and Folsom

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

Bordering Lake Forest

+ Compare

Mission Viejo92,151 people · $1.01M homes

+ Compare

Trabuco Canyon1,326 people · $1.3M homes

+ Compare

Irvine311,690 people · $1.19M homes

+ Compare

Laguna Hills30,740 people · $1.01M homes

Towns like Lake Forest

+ Compare

Chino Hills77,927 people · $875K homes

+ Compare

Livermore85,522 people · $1.11M homes

+ Compare

Rocklin73,327 people · $703K homes

+ Compare

Cypress49,498 people · $914K 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.

Lake Forest vs Folsom

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $2,330 more a month in Lake Forest

Folsom places higher on 12 of 23 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

397 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Lake Forest and Folsom

Bordering Lake Forest

Towns like Lake Forest

Post to Lake Forest

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