The 10 Best Huntington Beach Suburbs To Live In For 2022


We analyzed over 91 places around Huntington Beach to identify the most in demand places to live.

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Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best Huntington Beach suburbs.

Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.

There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.

But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.

Of course, not all suburbs of Huntington Beach are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...

What's the best suburb of Huntington Beach? Hermosa Beach ranks as the best suburb of Huntington Beach for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Hermosa Beach, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.

We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Huntington Beach 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.

Note: This result may differ from our state wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a larger selection of suburbs.

Feel free to check out some more reading about California:

The 10 Best Huntington Beach Suburbs To Live For 2022

Hermosa Beach is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Huntington Beach area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Hermosa Beach."

Everyone here is rich; families average $142,500 a year, which is the 7th highest in the Huntington Beach region. And only 3.94% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,649,900 each.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 19,147
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $142,500
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Hermosa Beach: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Hermosa Beach, CA

Manhattan Beach is the second best 'burb we looked at near Huntington Beach for 2022.

It ranks 4th for incomes in the area and only 1.55% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 35,064
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $153,926
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.2%
More on Manhattan Beach: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Manhattan Beach, CA

Source: Public domain

Here in Redondo Beach, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Huntington Beach metro area.

The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.

But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Redondo Beach.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 66,663
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $116,832
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 4.0%
More on Redondo Beach: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Redondo Beach, CA

Source: Public domain

Palos Verdes Estates ranks as the 4th best suburb of Huntington Beach for 2022.

You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Palos Verdes Estates and the schools are some of the best around.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 13,359
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $197,826
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Palos Verdes Estates: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Palos Verdes Estates, CA

Coming in as the fifth best is Newport Beach.

Newport Beach gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Huntington Beach area, where houses sell for an average of $1,976,400. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 86,694
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $133,849
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 6.9%
More on Newport Beach: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Newport Beach, CA

Rancho Palos Verdes is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here's why.

Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 4.36% which is 30th best in the area.

According to online reports, Rancho Palos Verdes is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Huntington Beach area, meaning you need to get in soon.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 41,635
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Median Income: $146,163
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 3.7%
More on Rancho Palos Verdes: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Source: Public domain

The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Yorba Linda.

Yorba Linda schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.

And, it's only 19.2 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 68,103
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $133,088
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Yorba Linda: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Yorba Linda, CA

Villa Park is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.

A solid 1.51% of people lack insurance, good for 2nd in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 5,883
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 3)
Median Income: $164,476
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 7.5%
More on Villa Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Villa Park, CA

Is 'Everything Better In La Palma?'

Almost.

It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it's really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 15,657
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 3)
Median Income: $108,363
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 6.3%
More on La Palma: Real Estate | Data | Photos

La Palma, CA

And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Mission Viejo.

This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It's far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 95,638
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 3)
Median Income: $121,299
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
Poverty Rate: 4.8%
More on Mission Viejo: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Mission Viejo, CA

Source: Public domain

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Huntington Beach for 2022

Figuring out the best suburbs around Huntington Beach was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

  • Low unemployment rate
  • High Median household incomes
  • Population density (lots of things to do)
  • High home values
  • A lot of college educated people
  • Low poverty
  • High rate of insured families

Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Huntington Beach.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 91 suburbs to evaluate around Huntington Beach.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 91 in each category, where 1 was the "best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Huntington Beach." We're lookin' at you, Hermosa Beach. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.

Summary: Welcome to the Best Huntington Beach 'Burbs of 2022

We said it once and we'll say it again--life in the big city isn't for everyone. At least not all the time.

So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Huntington Beach, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Huntington Beach Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income
1 Hermosa Beach, CA 19,147 $142,500
2 Manhattan Beach, CA 35,064 $153,926
3 Redondo Beach, CA 66,663 $116,832
4 Palos Verdes Estates, CA 13,359 $197,826
5 Newport Beach, CA 86,694 $133,849
6 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 41,635 $146,163
7 Yorba Linda, CA 68,103 $133,088
8 Villa Park, CA 5,883 $164,476
9 La Palma, CA 15,657 $108,363
10 Mission Viejo, CA 95,638 $121,299
11 Rolling Hills Estates, CA 8,025 $149,632
12 Aliso Viejo, CA 50,385 $118,540
13 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 48,280 $125,329
14 Dana Point, CA 33,782 $105,250
15 La Habra Heights, CA 5,318 $163,750
16 San Clemente, CA 64,929 $108,183
17 El Segundo, CA 16,575 $115,846
18 Cerritos, CA 49,388 $109,229
19 El Cerrito, CA 25,280 $108,294
20 Laguna Beach, CA 22,991 $128,099
21 Cypress, CA 49,137 $102,005
22 Torrance, CA 144,430 $94,781
23 Laguna Niguel, CA 65,048 $119,608
24 Walnut, CA 29,764 $108,264
25 Diamond Bar, CA 55,870 $100,723
26 Placentia, CA 52,049 $100,707
27 Laguna Hills, CA 31,613 $102,358
28 Brea, CA 44,182 $100,969
29 Lake Forest, CA 84,666 $112,988
30 Lakewood, CA 79,676 $96,487
31 Irvine, CA 272,694 $108,318
32 La Mirada, CA 48,260 $92,493
33 Fountain Valley, CA 56,118 $89,924
34 San Juan Capistrano, CA 35,976 $103,922
35 Chino Hills, CA 82,800 $104,661
36 Tustin, CA 80,815 $88,386
37 Lomita, CA 20,212 $76,090
38 Seal Beach, CA 24,268 $72,596
39 Orange, CA 139,322 $96,605
40 Alhambra, CA 84,509 $66,593
41 Costa Mesa, CA 112,958 $90,370
42 Buena Park, CA 82,228 $84,680
43 San Gabriel, CA 40,108 $70,892
44 West Covina, CA 105,808 $85,626
45 Whittier, CA 84,821 $76,026
46 Signal Hill, CA 11,430 $86,140
47 Artesia, CA 16,456 $74,375
48 Temple, CA 4,709 $67,628
49 Laguna Woods, CA 16,056 $46,449
50 Downey, CA 111,263 $75,974
51 Los Alamitos, CA 11,521 $89,323
52 Corona, CA 168,112 $88,434
53 Monterey Park, CA 60,597 $63,389
54 Midway, CA 3,132 $51,005
55 Fullerton, CA 141,061 $85,471
56 Pico Rivera, CA 62,507 $70,620
57 Gardena, CA 59,401 $64,015
58 La Habra, CA 62,787 $83,532
59 Covina, CA 47,787 $77,913
60 Norwalk, CA 104,524 $77,425
61 Garden Grove, CA 172,800 $73,611
62 Rosemead, CA 53,850 $60,006
63 Santa Fe Springs, CA 17,643 $69,922
64 Carson, CA 91,354 $86,040
65 Anaheim, CA 353,085 $76,723
66 Westminster, CA 90,857 $67,142
67 Chino, CA 89,170 $85,659
68 Long Beach, CA 462,081 $66,410
69 Santa Ana, CA 332,610 $72,406
70 Lawndale, CA 32,533 $65,923
71 Hawthorne, CA 85,410 $57,849
72 Baldwin Park, CA 75,659 $68,741
73 Hawaiian Gardens, CA 14,212 $61,422
74 Bellflower, CA 76,339 $63,848
75 Inglewood, CA 109,309 $58,536
76 La Puente, CA 39,780 $66,132
77 Montebello, CA 62,697 $62,781
78 Stanton, CA 38,317 $66,017
79 El Monte, CA 113,917 $53,874
80 Paramount, CA 53,949 $57,313
81 South Gate, CA 94,905 $55,084
82 South El Monte, CA 20,791 $54,208
83 Pomona, CA 151,124 $62,407
84 Maywood, CA 27,127 $50,996
85 Bell, CA 35,301 $47,740
86 Lynwood, CA 69,625 $57,063
87 Bell Gardens, CA 41,770 $45,289
88 Compton, CA 95,804 $58,703
89 Commerce, CA 12,738 $54,639
90 Cudahy, CA 23,606 $46,279
91 Huntington Park, CA 57,761 $46,738

How Is Your Town In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.