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%

Morro Bay$5,410/mo

Typical home $934K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,858/mo · Housing →

Ojai$6,740/mo

Typical home $1.15M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $1,955/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,330 a month, about $16,000 a year, between Ojai and Morro Bay.

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

Morro Bay places higher on 14 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

B−Morro BaySafer than 50% of U.S. towns BOjaiSafer than 63% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−Morro BayBetter than 81% of districts in the state B−OjaiBetter than 47% of districts in the state

Health

A−Morro BayHealthier than 82% of U.S. towns B+OjaiHealthier than 73% of U.S. towns

14Morro Bay

7Ojai

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

Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #168#508 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #102#443 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #245#32 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #379#527 Most activeHealth · 844 towns #161#310 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #259#186 Highest incomeIncome · 843 towns #411#537 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #571#673

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

Morro BayOjai

Snow a year0″0″

January low46°F 35°F

July high67°F 89°F

Growing season (days)365d 235d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)77th 100th

Outdoors & history

Morro BayOjai

Trails16 mi 18 mi

Conserved land19.5%13.3%

Settled1870 1921

National Register places1 2

Archive photos3 12

Famous people born here1 21

Community

Morro BayOjai

Library hours a week39 hrs 53 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

111 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Morro BayCA OjaiCA

Morro Bay ↔ Ojai111 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

Morro BayOjai

People

Population 10,692Highest 7,577Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.1%Highest CA: +6.1% +2.4%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 54.3±2.8Highest 43% above CA 47.3±4.5Lowest 25% above CA

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

Kids under 18 12%±2.4Lowest CA: 22% 18.8%±5Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 32.6%±3.9Highest CA: 15.7% 26.6%±4Lowest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 48.5%Highest CA: 37.1% 47.8%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±1.9Highest CA: 7.6% 3.8%±1.7Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $95,843±$6kHighest 3% below CA $82,656±$19kLowest 17% below CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $918,200±$49kLowest 25% above CA $1,016,200±$98kHighest 38% above CA

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,858±$93Lowest 9% below CA $1,955±$248Highest 4% below CA

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,999Lowest 17% above CA $7,355Highest 44% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.5%±10Lowest CA: 55.3% 63%±15.8Highest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 8.4%Highest CA: 12% 8.2%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 65.4%Highest CA: 55.9% 59.2%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1974Highest 2 yrs older than CA 1971Lowest 5 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 31% below CA 22 minHighest 25% below CA

Work from home 21.7%±6.6Lowest CA: 17.2% 26.7%±8.1Highest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 18.9%Highest 17.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miLowest 29.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.74Lowest 1.19Highest

Top workplaceoutside town San Luis Obispo (20%)Los Angeles (14%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OjaiFew work in Morro Bay

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 19.5%Highest 13.3%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 15.6 miLowest 18.2 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.5 miLowest 4.1 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 15Highest 8Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 44.7Lowest 57.7Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #168 of 574 in CA #508 of 574 in CA

School district San Luis Coastal UnifiedOjai Unified

High school in town Morro Bay HighNordhoff High

Students per teacherat that high school 17.8Lowest 18.1Highest

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.

Morro Bay neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Morro Bay’s Town Square.

Ojai neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ojai’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Morro Bay

+ Compare

Cayucos2,427 people · $1.01M homes

Towns like Morro Bay

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Sonoma10,670 people · $971K homes

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Pismo Beach8,014 people · $1.02M homes

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Sebastopol7,445 people · $846K homes

+ Compare

Solvang6,034 people · $950K 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.

Morro Bay vs Ojai

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $1,330 more a month in Ojai

Morro Bay places higher on 14 of 22 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

111 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Morro Bay and Ojai

Bordering Morro Bay

Towns like Morro Bay

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