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%

Rocklin$4,140/mo

Typical home $690K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.90% · or rent about $2,258/mo · Housing →

Lake Forest$6,790/mo

Typical home $1.18M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $2,672/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,660 a month, about $31,900 a year, between Lake Forest and Rocklin.

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

Lake Forest places higher on 13 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

BRocklinSafer than 62% of U.S. towns BLake ForestSafer than 63% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−RocklinBetter than 83% of districts in the state ALake ForestBetter than 87% of districts in the state

Health

ARocklinHealthier than 91% of U.S. towns ALake ForestHealthier than 87% of U.S. towns

8Rocklin

13Lake Forest

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

Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #294#85 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #420#184 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #320#119 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #63#164 Most affordableCost of living · 835 towns #470#630 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #308#150 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #231#119 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #103#241

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

RocklinLake Forest

Snow a year—0″

January low—43°F

July high—85°F

Growing season (days)—365d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)38th 82nd

Outdoors & history

RocklinLake Forest

Trails31 mi 41 mi

Conserved land7.1%20.3%

Settled—1991

National Register places1 1

Archive photos2 2

Famous people born here7 13

Community

RocklinLake Forest

Library hours a week38 hrs 60 hrs

Colleges in town2 —

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

408 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RocklinCA Lake ForestCA

Rocklin ↔ Lake Forest408 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

RocklinLake Forest

People

Population 73,327Lowest 86,281Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +25.7%Highest CA: +6.1% +11.1%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 38.4±0.6Lowest about the CA average 40.2±1.1Highest 6% above CA

Kids under 18 24.6%±1.4Highest CA: 22% 21.3%±1.5Lowest CA: 22%

Age 65+ 14.3%±0.9Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.8%±1.1Highest CA: 15.7%

Lake Forest and Rocklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 48%Lowest CA: 37.1% 50.8%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.5%±0.7Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.6%±1Highest CA: 7.6%

Lake Forest and Rocklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $124,168±$5kLowest 25% above CA $135,175±$5kHighest 36% above CA

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $703,400±$14kLowest 4% below CA $937,000±$27kHighest 28% above CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,258±$51Lowest 11% above CA $2,672±$114Highest 31% above CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $6,349Highest 24% above CA $5,812Lowest 13% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.6%±4.8Lowest CA: 55.3% 62.3%±6.7Highest CA: 55.3%

Lake Forest and Rocklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 5.6%Lowest CA: 12% 8.5%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 68.3%Lowest CA: 55.9% 70.5%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1998Highest 22 yrs newer than CA 1984Lowest 8 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 9% below CA 26 minLowest 11% below CA

Work from home 23.7%±1.9Lowest CA: 17.2% 24.4%±1.8Highest CA: 17.2%

Lake Forest and Rocklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 11.2%Highest 7.9%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miHighest 12.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.78Lowest 0.82Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Roseville (16%)Irvine (19%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Lake ForestFew work in Rocklin

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 7.1%Lowest 20.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 31.2 miLowest 41.0 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.6 miLowest 2.5 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 37Lowest 42Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 102Lowest 128Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #294 of 574 in CA #85 of 574 in CA

School district Rocklin Unified · Rocklin Academy Gateway DistrictOxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley District · Saddleback Valley Unified

High school in town Whitney HighEl Toro High

Students per teacherat that high school 22.1Highest 21.5Lowest

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.

Rocklin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rocklin’s Town Square.

Lake Forest neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lake Forest’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Rocklin and Lake Forest

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

Bordering Rocklin

+ Compare

Loomis6,853 people · $635K homes

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Roseville155,955 people · $661K homes

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Lincoln52,956 people · $651K homes

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Granite Bay21,673 people · $1.14M homes

Towns like Rocklin

+ Compare

Chino Hills77,927 people · $875K homes

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Camarillo70,186 people · $827K homes

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San Marcos94,882 people · $868K homes

+ Compare

Placentia52,826 people · $921K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Rocklin vs Lake Forest

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $2,660 more a month in Lake Forest

Lake Forest places higher on 13 of 22 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

408 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Rocklin and Lake Forest

Bordering Rocklin

Towns like Rocklin

Post to Rocklin

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