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Compare towns

Lompoc vs San Pablo

251 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (43× in Lompoc) and street grid (2.8× in San Pablo).

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Lompoc, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 43,646 people
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San Pablo, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 31,720 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 about the same each month

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.

Lompoc$3,410/mo
Typical home $595K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.58% · or rent about $1,589/mo · Housing →
San Pablo$3,290/mo
Typical home $555K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.81% · or rent about $2,018/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,400 a year, between Lompoc and San Pablo.

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

Lompoc places higher on 11 of 21 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
LompocSan Pablo
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F43°F
July high73°F74°F
Growing season (days)335d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd95th
Outdoors & history
LompocSan Pablo
Trails9 mi0 mi
Conserved land3.1%1.7%
Settled1888—
National Register places3—
Archive photos2334
Famous people born here3111
Community
LompocSan Pablo
Library hours a week44 hrs52 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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

251 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Lompoc ↔ San Pablo251 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.

LompocSan Pablo
People
Population 43,646Highest 31,720Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.7%Lowest CA: +6.1% +10.3%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 35.1±1.4Highest 7% below CA 34.6±1.6Lowest 9% below CA
Lompoc and San Pablo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.1%±2.1Highest CA: 22% 25.4%±2.6Lowest CA: 22%
Lompoc and San Pablo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13%±1.2Highest CA: 15.7% 11.5%±1.4Lowest CA: 15.7%
Lompoc and San Pablo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 13.7%Lowest CA: 37.1% 16.8%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±1Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.2%±1.3Highest CA: 7.6%
San Pablo and Lompoc are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $72,004±$7kLowest 27% below CA $79,478±$3kHighest 20% below CA
San Pablo and Lompoc are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $472,900±$13kLowest 36% below CA $551,700±$25kHighest 25% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,589±$63Lowest 22% below CA $2,018±$118Highest about the CA average
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,737Lowest 47% below CA $4,461Highest 13% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54%±6.2Lowest CA: 55.3% 56.4%±8.2Highest CA: 55.3%
San Pablo and Lompoc are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17.3%Highest CA: 12% 12.6%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 49%Highest CA: 55.9% 42%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest same as CA 1969Lowest 7 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest 4% below CA 32 minHighest 13% above CA
Work from home 7.1%±1.6Lowest CA: 17.2% 8.9%±1.9Highest CA: 17.2%
San Pablo and Lompoc are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 22.3%Highest 5.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.3 miHighest 12.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.45Highest 0.39Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Santa Barbara (9%)San Francisco (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in San PabloFew work in Lompoc
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.1%Highest 1.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 8.6 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 11Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 72.0Lowest 199Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #393 of 574 in CA—
School district Lompoc UnifiedWest Contra Costa Unified
High school in town Lompoc HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 19.5 —
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.

Lompoc neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lompoc’s Town Square.

San Pablo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to San Pablo’s Town Square.

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Bordering Lompoc

Towns like Lompoc

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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