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%

Ojai$6,740/mo

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

Morro Bay$5,410/mo

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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

7Ojai

14Morro Bay

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

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

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

OjaiMorro Bay

Snow a year0″0″

January low35°F 46°F

July high89°F 67°F

Growing season (days)235d 365d

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

Outdoors & history

OjaiMorro Bay

Trails18 mi 16 mi

Conserved land13.3%19.5%

Settled1921 1870

National Register places2 1

Archive photos12 3

Famous people born here21 1

Community

OjaiMorro Bay

Library hours a week53 hrs 39 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.

OjaiCA Morro BayCA

Ojai ↔ Morro Bay111 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

OjaiMorro Bay

People

Population 7,577Lowest 10,692Highest

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

Median age 47.3±4.5Lowest 25% above CA 54.3±2.8Highest 43% 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 18.8%±5Highest CA: 22% 12%±2.4Lowest 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+ 26.6%±4Lowest CA: 15.7% 32.6%±3.9Highest 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+ 47.8%Lowest CA: 37.1% 48.5%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.8%±1.7Lowest CA: 7.6% 5.4%±1.9Highest 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 $82,656±$19kLowest 17% below CA $95,843±$6kHighest 3% 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 $1,016,200±$98kHighest 38% above CA $918,200±$49kLowest 25% 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 $1,955±$248Highest 4% below CA $1,858±$93Lowest 9% 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 $7,355Highest 44% above CA $5,999Lowest 17% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 63%±15.8Highest CA: 55.3% 49.5%±10Lowest 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 8.2%Lowest CA: 12% 8.4%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 26.7%±8.1Highest CA: 17.2% 21.7%±6.6Lowest 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 17.2%Lowest 18.9%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 29.3 miHighest 14.3 miLowest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Morro BayFew work in Ojai

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 13.3%Lowest 19.5%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 18.2 miHighest 15.6 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 4.1 miHighest 1.5 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 8Lowest 15Highest

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

Schools

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

School district Ojai UnifiedSan Luis Coastal Unified

High school in town Nordhoff HighMorro Bay High

Students per teacherat that high school 18.1Highest 17.8Lowest

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.

Ojai neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ojai’s Town Square.

Morro Bay neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Morro Bay’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Ojai and Morro Bay

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

Bordering Ojai

+ Compare

Meiners Oaks3,934 people · $721K homes

+ Compare

Mira Monte6,888 people · $812K homes

Towns like Ojai

+ Compare

Sebastopol7,445 people · $846K homes

+ Compare

Capitola9,689 people · $783K homes

+ Compare

Carpinteria13,036 people · $1.04M homes

+ Compare

Healdsburg11,243 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.

Ojai vs Morro Bay

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 Ojai and Morro Bay

Bordering Ojai

Towns like Ojai

Post to Ojai

Check your email