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%

Lawndale$4,450/mo

Typical home $775K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.60% · or rent about $1,938/mo · Housing →

Bell$4,040/mo

Typical home $683K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.81% · or rent about $1,575/mo · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Lawndale and Bell.

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

Lawndale places higher on 17 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.

Safety

C−LawndaleSafer than 15% of U.S. towns C−BellSafer than 21% of U.S. towns

Schools

C+LawndaleBetter than 42% of districts in the state C+BellBetter than 44% of districts in the state

Health

C+LawndaleHealthier than 39% of U.S. towns C−BellHealthier than 18% of U.S. towns

17Lawndale

4Bell

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #449#131 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #272#641 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #240#532 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #262#386 Highest incomeIncome · 843 towns #517#726 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #387#594 Cheapest rentCost of living · 830 towns #437#242 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #49#245

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

LawndaleBell

Snow a year0″0″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)97th 80th

Outdoors & history

LawndaleBell

Trails1 mi 0 mi

Conserved land2.3%0.6%

Settled1959 1913

Archive photos—12

Famous people born here—19

Community

LawndaleBell

Library hours a week40 hrs 40 hrs

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

12 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LawndaleBell

Lawndale ↔ Bell12 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

LawndaleBell

People

Population 30,781Lowest 32,476Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.9%Highest CA: +6.1% -5.4%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 36.9±2Highest about the CA average 34.3±1.4Lowest 9% below CA

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

Kids under 18 22.7%±2.3Lowest CA: 22% 26.3%±2.5Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 10.9%±1.3Lowest CA: 15.7% 11.4%±1.5Highest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.6%Highest CA: 37.1% 9.7%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.3%±1.2Highest CA: 7.6% 6.5%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $85,441±$5kHighest 14% below CA $61,020±$5kLowest 38% below CA

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $781,900±$43kHighest 6% above CA $591,600±$32kLowest 19% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,938±$76Highest 5% below CA $1,575±$59Lowest 23% below CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $4,686Lowest 9% below CA $4,770Highest 7% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.8%±5.9Lowest CA: 55.3% 64%±5.3Highest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 13%Lowest CA: 12% 21.6%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 37%Highest CA: 55.9% 26.5%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1967Highest 9 yrs older than CA 1956Lowest 20 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 14% below CA 30 minHighest 5% above CA

Work from home 7.2%±1.7Highest CA: 17.2% 4.1%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 4.3%Highest 4.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miHighest 9.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.41Lowest 0.90Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (27%)Los Angeles (25%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BellFew work in Lawndale

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.3%Highest 0.6%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 1.0 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 3Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 148Highest 99.0Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #449 of 574 in CA #131 of 574 in CA

School district Centinela Valley Union High · Lawndale ElementaryMagnolia Science Academy Bell District · Los Angeles Unified

High school in town Leuzinger HighBell Senior High

Students per teacherat that high school 22.1Highest 20.7Lowest

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.

Lawndale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lawndale’s Town Square.

Bell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bell’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lawndale and Bell

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

Bordering Lawndale

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Hawthorne85,191 people · $863K homes

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Torrance142,130 people · $1.07M homes

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Redondo Beach69,291 people · $1.28M homes

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Alondra Park8,373 people · $835K homes

Towns like Lawndale

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San Pablo31,720 people · $552K homes

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Imperial Beach25,764 people · $857K homes

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Seaside31,814 people · $787K homes

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National City58,893 people · $612K 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.

Lawndale vs Bell

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $410 more a month in Lawndale

Lawndale places higher on 17 of 22 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

12 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Lawndale and Bell

Bordering Lawndale

Towns like Lawndale

Post to Lawndale

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