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Compare towns

Pomona vs Lancaster

50 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (12.3× in Lancaster) and street grid (2.5× in Pomona).

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Pomona, CAHometown of 77 notable peopleCalifornia · 147,943 people
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Lancaster, CAHomes around $462KCalifornia · 169,169 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 $1,160 more a month in Pomona

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.

Pomona$3,930/mo
Typical home $682K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $1,810/mo · Housing →
Lancaster$2,770/mo
Typical home $462K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,764/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,160 a month, about $13,900 a year, between Pomona and Lancaster.

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

Pomona places higher on 12 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
PomonaLancaster
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F35°F
July high90°F98°F
Growing season (days)354d248d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)96th87th
Outdoors & history
PomonaLancaster
Trails6 mi71 mi
Conserved land2.8%0.7%
Settled18881977
National Register places121
Archive photos1712
Famous people born here7744
Community
PomonaLancaster
Library hours a week34 hrs40 hrs
Colleges in town21
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

50 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Pomona ↔ Lancaster50 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.

PomonaLancaster
People
Population 147,943Lowest 169,169Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% +10.8%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 36±0.7Highest 5% below CA 34.5±0.8Lowest 9% below CA
Pomona and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.9%±1Lowest CA: 22% 26.7%±1.2Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 13.4%±0.8Highest CA: 15.7% 12.1%±0.7Lowest CA: 15.7%
Pomona and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.3%Highest CA: 37.1% 20%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.3%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6% 7.1%±0.6Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $79,479±$3kLowest 20% below CA $81,511±$3kHighest 18% below CA
Lancaster and Pomona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $593,800±$9kHighest 19% below CA $446,600±$7kLowest 39% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,810±$38Highest 11% below CA $1,764±$45Lowest 13% below CA
Pomona and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,717Lowest 27% below CA $4,074Highest 20% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.4%±3Lowest CA: 55.3% 61.3%±3.5Highest CA: 55.3%
Lancaster and Pomona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.3%Lowest CA: 12% 15.6%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54%Lowest CA: 55.9% 60.4%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 9 yrs older than CA 1986Highest 10 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 11% above CA 31 minLowest 7% above CA
Work from home 9.3%±0.9Lowest CA: 17.2% 9.8%±1.1Highest CA: 17.2%
Lancaster and Pomona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 10.8%Lowest 25.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miLowest 36.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.84Highest 0.73Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (10%)Los Angeles (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LancasterFew work in Pomona
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.8%Highest 0.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 5.8 miLowest 71.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 26Highest 14Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 105Highest 42.8Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #336 of 574 in CA#464 of 574 in CA
School district School of Arts and Enterprise District · Pomona UnifiedMission Academy District · Empower Generations District
High school in town Garey HighQuartz Hill High
Students per teacherat that high school 20.9Lowest 27.7Highest
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.

Pomona neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pomona’s Town Square.

Lancaster neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lancaster’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Pomona and Lancaster

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

Bordering Pomona

Towns like Pomona

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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