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Pasadena vs Burbank

11 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (2.1× in Burbank) and trails (+83% in Pasadena).

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Pasadena, CAA history townCalifornia · 136,969 people
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Burbank, CAA regional job hubCalifornia · 104,546 people
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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.

PasadenaA history town
HistorySettled in 1886124 places on the National Register College town9 collegesPasadena City College Work100,504 jobsbased in Pasadena, a regional job hub All about Pasadena →
BurbankA regional job hub
Work178,649 jobsbased in Burbank, a regional job hub Outdoors#118 most conserved land in CA22 miles of trails across 28 parks and preserves Schools#113 for schools in CAof 574 towns All about Burbank →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker2.1×
Burbank is more of a job hub
Burbank 3.71Pasadena 1.76
Trails+83%
Pasadena has more miles of trail
Pasadena 39.8 miBurbank 21.7 mi
Bachelor’s degree++9 pts
More adults in Pasadena have a degree
Pasadena 56.1%Burbank 47.1%
★ 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.

Pasadena$6,850/mo
Typical home $1.19M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $2,265/mo · Housing →
Burbank$6,720/mo
Typical home $1.18M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $2,192/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,500 a year, between Pasadena and Burbank.

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

Burbank places higher on 17 of 26 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
DPasadenaSafer than 13% of U.S. towns DBurbankSafer than 14% of U.S. towns
Schools
B+PasadenaBetter than 67% of districts in the state A−BurbankBetter than 75% of districts in the state
Health
A−PasadenaHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns A−BurbankHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns
9Pasadena
17Burbank

Lists won, of 26 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #599#211 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #135#297 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #99#420 Most-used librariesLibraries · 117 towns #61#29 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #582#438 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #199#305 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #252#347 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #328#241

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Pasadena’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
PasadenaBurbank
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)91st94th
Outdoors & history
PasadenaBurbank
Trails40 mi22 mi
Conserved land13.5%20.3%
Settled18861887
National Register places1243
Archive photos366
Famous people born here—47
Community
PasadenaBurbank
Library hours a week54 hrs58 hrs
Colleges in town92
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.

Where they are

11 miles apart

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

PasadenaBurbankPasadenaBurbank
Pasadena ↔ Burbank11 miles apart
Who commutes between them
3,161 Pasadena residents work in Burbank (5.5% of its workers)
1,047 Burbank residents work in Pasadena (2.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Pasadena →
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.

PasadenaBurbank
People
Population 136,969Highest 104,546Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.2%Lowest CA: +6.1% +3.9%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 40.1±0.6 6% above CA 40.1±1 6% above CA
Kids under 18 16.7%±0.9Lowest CA: 22% 19.1%±1.3Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 17.4%±0.8Highest CA: 15.7% 16.3%±1Lowest CA: 15.7%
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 56.1%Highest CA: 37.1% 47.1%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.7%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6% 7.5%±0.9Lowest CA: 7.6%
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $105,192±$3kHighest 6% above CA $97,082±$5kLowest about the CA average
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,093,300±$25kHighest 49% above CA $1,089,100±$22kLowest 48% above CA
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,265±$38Highest 11% above CA $2,192±$51Lowest 8% above CA
Pasadena and Burbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,843Highest 34% above CA $6,106Lowest 19% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.9%±2.9Lowest CA: 55.3% 59.4%±3.8Highest CA: 55.3%
Burbank and Pasadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.3%Highest CA: 12% 10.7%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 42.5%Lowest CA: 55.9% 43.3%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1961Highest 15 yrs older than CA 1959Lowest 17 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 6% below CA 26 minLowest 9% below CA
Work from home 27.6%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2% 30.4%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Burbank and Pasadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 20.3%Lowest 24.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miHighest 8.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.76Lowest 3.71Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (29%)Los Angeles (40%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 6% work in Burbank2% work in Pasadena
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 13.5%Lowest 20.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 39.8 miHighest 21.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 1.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 31Highest 28Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 98.2Highest 83.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #150 of 574 in CA#113 of 574 in CA
School district Learning Works District · Pasadena Rosebud Academy DistrictBurbank Unified
High school in town Options For Youth - Duarte IncBurbank High
Students per teacherat that high school 28.0Highest 25.5Lowest
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.

Pasadena neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 4d

Living in Pasadena

1 neighbor in Pasadena can answer.

Burbank neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Burbank’s Town Square.

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Bordering Pasadena

+ Compare
La Cañada Flintridge19,935 people · $2M homes
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Altadena41,705 people · $1.12M homes
L
+ Compare
Los Angeles3,857,263 people · $921K homes
+ Compare
San Marino12,216 people · $2M homes

Towns like Pasadena

+ Compare
Santa Barbara87,779 people · $1.57M homes
+ Compare
San Mateo103,105 people · $1.62M homes
+ Compare
Glendale190,748 people · $1.1M homes
+ Compare
Costa Mesa110,330 people · $1.12M 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.

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