While big cities like Irvine offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Irvine. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Irvine without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Irvine are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Irvine area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Irvine for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Irvine? La Habra Heights ranks as the best suburb of Irvine for 2025 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of La Habra Heights, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Irvine ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about California:
The 10 Best Irvine Suburbs To Live For 2025
/10
Population: 5,546
Median Income: $186,837
Unemployment Rate: 1.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on La Habra Heights: Data
La Habra Heights is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Irvine area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome La Habra Heights.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $186,837 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Irvine region. And only 1.0% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,114,100 each.
/10
Population: 67,407
Median Income: $152,060
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on Yorba Linda: Data
Yorba Linda is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Irvine for 2025.
It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 2.84% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
/10
Population: 5,776
Median Income: $204,750
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 8.1%
More on Villa Park: Data
Here in Villa Park, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Irvine 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 Villa Park.
/10
Population: 84,304
Median Income: $158,461
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 7.3%
More on Newport Beach: Data
Newport Beach ranks as the 4th best suburb of Irvine for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Newport Beach and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 92,415
Median Income: $136,071
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Mission Viejo: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Mission Viejo.
Mission Viejo gets kudos for having the 15th most expensive homes in the Irvine area, where houses sell for an average of $946,300. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 51,320
Median Income: $137,970
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 5.2%
More on Aliso Viejo: Data
Aliso Viejo 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 3.72%.
According to online reports, Aliso Viejo is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Irvine area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 15,375
Median Income: $115,833
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on La Palma: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to La Palma.
La Palma 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 19.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 32,883
Median Income: $127,246
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 7.6%
More on Dana Point: Data
Dana Point 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 4.25% of people lack insurance, good for 18th in the area.
/10
Population: 25,781
Median Income: $127,475
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 7.5%
More on El Cerrito: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In El Cerrito?’
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.
/10
Population: 22,777
Median Income: $140,508
Unemployment Rate: 5.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Laguna Beach: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Laguna Beach.
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.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Irvine for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Irvine was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2019-2023 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- 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
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Irvine.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 73 suburbs to evaluate around Irvine.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 73 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Irvine.” We’re lookin’ at you, La Habra Heights.
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 more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Irvine suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Irvine ‘Burbs of 2025
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.
The best suburbs of Irvine are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Irvine but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more California reading, check out:
Table: Best Irvine Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Habra Heights, CA | 5,546 | $186,837 | $1,114,100 |
| 2 | Yorba Linda, CA | 67,407 | $152,060 | $1,091,700 |
| 3 | Villa Park, CA | 5,776 | $204,750 | $1,686,200 |
| 4 | Newport Beach, CA | 84,304 | $158,461 | $2,000,001 |
| 5 | Mission Viejo, CA | 92,415 | $136,071 | $946,300 |
| 6 | Aliso Viejo, CA | 51,320 | $137,970 | $863,800 |
| 7 | La Palma, CA | 15,375 | $115,833 | $916,600 |
| 8 | Dana Point, CA | 32,883 | $127,246 | $1,200,900 |
| 9 | El Cerrito, CA | 25,781 | $127,475 | $1,107,500 |
| 10 | Laguna Beach, CA | 22,777 | $140,508 | $2,000,001 |
| 11 | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | 47,257 | $146,827 | $907,900 |
| 12 | Eastvale, CA | 70,179 | $161,322 | $752,000 |
| 13 | Cerritos, CA | 48,340 | $133,953 | $908,600 |
| 14 | San Clemente, CA | 63,510 | $134,735 | $1,220,500 |
| 15 | Walnut, CA | 27,857 | $133,762 | $972,500 |
| 16 | Lake Forest, CA | 85,846 | $131,378 | $876,300 |
| 17 | Laguna Niguel, CA | 64,023 | $140,605 | $1,123,000 |
| 18 | Huntington Beach, CA | 196,010 | $119,885 | $1,047,300 |
| 19 | La Mirada, CA | 46,945 | $110,177 | $763,200 |
| 20 | Cypress, CA | 49,531 | $124,167 | $870,100 |
| 21 | Lakewood, CA | 80,510 | $116,794 | $774,100 |
| 22 | Brea, CA | 47,337 | $124,837 | $874,300 |
| 23 | Laguna Hills, CA | 30,921 | $122,778 | $944,000 |
| 24 | Fountain Valley, CA | 56,358 | $111,797 | $1,018,600 |
| 25 | San Juan Capistrano, CA | 34,998 | $127,893 | $929,700 |
| 26 | Diamond Bar, CA | 53,750 | $106,602 | $867,000 |
| 27 | Canyon Lake, CA | 11,107 | $124,948 | $647,300 |
| 28 | Placentia, CA | 52,384 | $110,575 | $871,000 |
| 29 | Orange, CA | 138,723 | $116,945 | $900,700 |
| 30 | Norco, CA | 25,211 | $125,117 | $731,900 |
| 31 | Costa Mesa, CA | 110,538 | $110,073 | $1,054,700 |
| 32 | Seal Beach, CA | 24,868 | $83,045 | $492,200 |
| 33 | Tustin, CA | 79,035 | $108,435 | $890,600 |
| 34 | Buena Park, CA | 83,052 | $108,187 | $771,900 |
| 35 | Chino Hills, CA | 78,024 | $122,600 | $830,000 |
| 36 | San Dimas, CA | 34,099 | $105,833 | $756,200 |
| 37 | Signal Hill, CA | 11,563 | $102,303 | $725,500 |
| 38 | Whittier, CA | 85,925 | $92,374 | $751,700 |
| 39 | Covina, CA | 50,143 | $94,792 | $666,000 |
| 40 | West Covina, CA | 107,436 | $98,570 | $712,300 |
| 41 | Fullerton, CA | 141,278 | $104,219 | $859,600 |
| 42 | Downey, CA | 111,793 | $87,400 | $728,500 |
| 43 | Los Alamitos, CA | 11,784 | $98,539 | $1,003,900 |
| 44 | Corona, CA | 158,839 | $106,438 | $656,500 |
| 45 | Laguna Woods, CA | 17,342 | $60,235 | $364,900 |
| 46 | La Habra, CA | 62,233 | $98,158 | $716,700 |
| 47 | Artesia, CA | 16,044 | $97,712 | $763,700 |
| 48 | Garden Grove, CA | 170,603 | $90,166 | $765,500 |
| 49 | Norwalk, CA | 100,713 | $98,709 | $616,600 |
| 50 | Chino, CA | 91,775 | $103,845 | $641,500 |
| 51 | Pico Rivera, CA | 60,821 | $86,956 | $621,400 |
| 52 | Carson, CA | 93,523 | $107,391 | $645,600 |
| 53 | Santa Ana, CA | 311,639 | $88,354 | $657,800 |
| 54 | Westminster, CA | 90,147 | $82,686 | $820,000 |
| 55 | Anaheim, CA | 344,553 | $90,583 | $771,700 |
| 56 | Long Beach, CA | 458,491 | $83,969 | $762,200 |
| 57 | Santa Fe Springs, CA | 19,310 | $86,857 | $624,700 |
| 58 | Midway, CA | 3,504 | $61,048 | $212,400 |
| 59 | Bellflower, CA | 77,396 | $77,602 | $661,100 |
| 60 | La Puente, CA | 37,404 | $84,811 | $593,200 |
| 61 | Hawaiian Gardens, CA | 13,816 | $76,025 | $509,600 |
| 62 | Stanton, CA | 38,639 | $81,455 | $541,000 |
| 63 | Riverside, CA | 316,241 | $88,575 | $542,100 |
| 64 | Lake Elsinore, CA | 71,516 | $96,527 | $505,700 |
| 65 | Paramount, CA | 52,546 | $70,912 | $500,400 |
| 66 | Ontario, CA | 178,347 | $82,806 | $568,000 |
| 67 | Montclair, CA | 37,809 | $76,338 | $549,600 |
| 68 | Pomona, CA | 148,391 | $78,869 | $569,600 |
| 69 | Lakeland, CA | 117,030 | $60,947 | $229,100 |
| 70 | Bell Gardens, CA | 38,661 | $55,372 | $527,900 |
| 71 | Jurupa Valley, CA | 106,244 | $96,190 | $538,700 |
| 72 | Lynwood, CA | 65,291 | $70,236 | $569,400 |
| 73 | Wildomar, CA | 36,953 | $95,677 | $511,900 |