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Long Beach vs Carson

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (7.9× in Long Beach) and homeowners (+32.8 pts renters in Long Beach).

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Long Beach, CAA history townCalifornia · 455,548 people
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Carson, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 92,871 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 $390 more a month in Long Beach

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.

Long Beach$4,910/mo
Typical home $851K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,871/mo · Housing →
Carson$4,530/mo
Typical home $786K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $1,956/mo · Housing →

The difference: $390 a month, about $4,700 a year, between Long Beach and Carson.

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.

Where they are

Long Beach and Carson share a border

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

Long BeachCarsonLong BeachCarson
Long Beach ↔ Carson6.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
4,556 Long Beach residents work in Carson (2.5% of its workers)
3,064 Carson residents work in Long Beach (7.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Long Beach →
Report cards

Carson places higher on 14 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.

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
Long BeachCarson
Snow a year0″0″
January low47°F—
July high77°F—
Growing season (days)365d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)92nd87th
Outdoors & history
Long BeachCarson
Trails24 mi3 mi
Conserved land6.3%2.6%
Settled18881968
National Register places19—
Archive photos1811
Famous people born here5441
Community
Long BeachCarson
Library hours a week38 hrs40 hrs
Colleges in town21
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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.

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.

Long BeachCarson
People
Population 455,548Highest 92,871Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1%Lowest CA: +6.1% +4.2%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 37.1±0.4Lowest about the CA average 41.7±1Highest 10% above CA
Kids under 18 19.9%±0.6Lowest CA: 22% 20.1%±1.3Highest CA: 22%
Carson and Long Beach are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.5%±0.4Lowest CA: 15.7% 18.5%±1.1Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.6%Highest CA: 37.1% 29.3%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.7%±0.4Highest CA: 7.6% 6.4%±0.8Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $87,430±$2kLowest 12% below CA $108,703±$4kHighest 10% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $806,600±$10kHighest 10% above CA $704,400±$14kLowest 4% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,871±$20Lowest 8% below CA $1,956±$109Highest 4% below CA
Carson and Long Beach are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,151Highest about the CA average $4,361Lowest 15% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.6%±1.5Highest CA: 55.3% 52.9%±5.1Lowest CA: 55.3%
Long Beach and Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.8%Highest CA: 12% 8.7%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 41.2%Lowest CA: 55.9% 74%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1959Lowest 17 yrs older than CA 1966Highest 10 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 4% above CA 28 minLowest 4% below CA
Work from home 16.2%±0.8Highest CA: 17.2% 8.7%±0.9Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 21%Highest 6.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miHighest 11.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.83Lowest 1.29Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (16%)Los Angeles (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Carson7% work in Long Beach
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6.3%Highest 2.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 23.7 miHighest 3.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 75Highest 15Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 83.3Lowest 88.0Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #259 of 574 in CA#124 of 574 in CA
School district Long Beach Unified ROP · Intellectual Virtues Academy DistrictMagnolia Science Academy 3 District · Compton Unified
High school in town Polytechnic HighCarson Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.3Highest 18.5Lowest
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.

Long Beach neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

New to Long Beach Schools

1 neighbor in Long Beach can answer.

Carson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Carson’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Long Beach and Carson

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Bordering Long Beach

Towns like Long Beach

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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