Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Tustin vs Irvine

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (6.2× in Irvine) and growth since 2010 (+38.6 pts in Irvine).

×
Tustin, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 78,981 people
×
Irvine, CAHomes around $1.49MCalifornia · 311,690 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 $2,070 more a month in Irvine

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.

Tustin$6,750/mo
Typical home $1.16M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71% · or rent about $2,449/mo · Housing →
Irvine$8,820/mo
Typical home $1.49M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.80% · or rent about $2,997/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,070 a month, about $24,800 a year, between Irvine and Tustin.

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

Irvine places higher on 16 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.

Where they are

Tustin and Irvine share a border

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

TustinIrvineTustinIrvine
Tustin ↔ Irvine4.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
6,313 Tustin residents work in Irvine (17% of its workers)
3,117 Irvine residents work in Tustin (2.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Tustin →
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
TustinIrvine
Snow a year0″0″
January low49°F49°F
July high83°F83°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)88th88th
Outdoors & history
TustinIrvine
Conserved land4%21.9%
Settled—1971
National Register places43
Archive photos1923
Famous people born here1762
Community
TustinIrvine
Library hours a week60 hrs64 hrs
Colleges in town—5
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.

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.

TustinIrvine
People
Population 78,981Lowest 311,690Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.3%Lowest CA: +6.1% +44.9%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 37.5±1.3Highest about the CA average 34±0.5Lowest 10% below CA
Kids under 18 22.5%±1.6Highest CA: 22% 21.7%±0.8Lowest CA: 22%
Tustin and Irvine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.1%±1.3Highest CA: 15.7% 10.8%±0.5Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.4%Lowest CA: 37.1% 70.6%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.9%±0.9Lowest CA: 7.6% 15.5%±0.7Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $112,503±$6kLowest 13% above CA $136,719±$6kHighest 38% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $950,400±$31kLowest 29% above CA $1,191,500±$21kHighest 62% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,449±$57Lowest 20% above CA $2,997±$51Highest 47% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,725Lowest 31% above CA $9,543Highest 86% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.6%±4.8Highest CA: 55.3% 52.9%±2.6Lowest CA: 55.3%
Below poverty line 9.9%Lowest CA: 12% 10.8%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 48.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 44.5%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Lowest 7 yrs newer than CA 2002Highest 26 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 21% below CA 25 minHighest 14% below CA
Work from home 19.2%±1.9Lowest CA: 17.2% 28%±1.3Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 7.2%Lowest 28.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 8.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.37Lowest 2.39Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Irvine (17%)Los Angeles (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 17% work in Irvine3% work in Tustin
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4%Lowest 21.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 19.8 miLowest 122.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 miLowest 1.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 23Lowest 215Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 132Highest 102Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #291 of 574 in CA#37 of 574 in CA
School district Tustin UnifiedIrvine International Academy District · Tustin Unified
High school in town Tustin HighArnold O. Beckman High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.9Lowest 26.4Highest
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.

Tustin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tustin’s Town Square.

Irvine neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Irvine’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Tustin and Irvine

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

Bordering Tustin

Towns like Tustin

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.

Post to Tustin

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in