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Long Beach vs Compton

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (23.7× in Long Beach) and size (4.9× in Long Beach).

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Long Beach, CAA history townCalifornia · 455,548 people
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Compton, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 92,698 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 $1,170 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 →
Compton$3,750/mo
Typical home $638K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.75% · or rent about $1,664/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,170 a month, about $14,000 a year, between Long Beach and Compton.

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

Long Beach 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.

Where they are

Long Beach and Compton share a border

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

Long BeachComptonLong BeachCompton
Long Beach ↔ Compton8.5 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
2,240 Compton residents work in Long Beach (6.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Compton →
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 BeachCompton
Snow a year0″0″
January low47°F—
July high77°F—
Growing season (days)365d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)92nd91st
Outdoors & history
Long BeachCompton
Trails24 mi1 mi
Conserved land6.3%1.3%
Settled1888—
National Register places191
Archive photos185
Famous people born here5459
Community
Long BeachCompton
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 BeachCompton
People
Population 455,548Highest 92,698Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1%Highest CA: +6.1% -0.7%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 37.1±0.4Highest about the CA average 33.3±1.1Lowest 12% below CA
Kids under 18 19.9%±0.6Lowest CA: 22% 27.3%±1.5Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 13.5%±0.4Highest CA: 15.7% 10.7%±0.8Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.6%Highest CA: 37.1% 10.6%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.7%±0.4Highest CA: 7.6% 6%±0.6Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $87,430±$2kHighest 12% below CA $78,465±$4kLowest 21% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $806,600±$10kHighest 10% above CA $580,200±$10kLowest 21% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,871±$20Highest 8% below CA $1,664±$62Lowest 18% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,151Highest about the CA average $4,358Lowest 15% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.6%±1.5Lowest CA: 55.3% 57.5%±4.1Highest CA: 55.3%
Compton and Long Beach are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.8%Lowest CA: 12% 17.9%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 41.2%Lowest CA: 55.9% 56.4%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1959Highest 17 yrs older than CA 1957Lowest 19 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minLowest 4% above CA 31 minHighest 6% above CA
Work from home 16.2%±0.8Highest CA: 17.2% 5%±1Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 21%Highest 5.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miHighest 9.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.83Highest 0.76Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (16%)Los Angeles (24%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Compton6% work in Long Beach
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6.3%Highest 1.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 23.7 miHighest 1.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 75Highest 13Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 83.3Lowest 133Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #259 of 574 in CA—
School district Long Beach Unified ROP · Intellectual Virtues Academy DistrictCompton Unified ROP · KIPP Compton Community District
High school in town Polytechnic HighManuel Dominguez High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.3Highest 21.9Lowest
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.

Compton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Compton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Long Beach and Compton

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

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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