Irvine has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Irvine without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Irvine: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$156,867 median income · $3,625,146 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
Newport Beach is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Irvine area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Newport Beach.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $156,867 a year, which is the 5th highest in the Irvine region. And only 4.3% are out of work. Homes average more than $3,625,146 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$202,245 median income · $2,343,977 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
Villa Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Irvine for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 0.8% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$141,520 median income · $1,736,393 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
Here in Dana Point, 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 Dana Point.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$117,989 median income · $1,203,550 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
La Palma ranks as the 4th best suburb of Irvine for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in La Palma and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$142,439 median income · $1,012,225 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
Coming in as the fifth best is Aliso Viejo.
Aliso Viejo gets kudos for having the 3most expensive homes in the Irvine area, where houses sell for an average of $1,012,225. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$157,582 median income · $1,419,513 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
Yorba Linda 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 4.7%.
According to online reports, Yorba Linda is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Irvine area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$143,843 median income · $2,949,835 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Laguna Beach.
Laguna Beach 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 9.4 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$160,069 median income · $949,255 median home price
Located in
Riverside County, California
Eastvale 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 3.8% of people lack insurance, good for 15th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$179,583 median income · $1,399,870 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Is ‘Everything Better In La Habra Heights?’
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$136,123 median income · $1,229,743 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
California statewide median: $99,122
California statewide median: $774,582
California statewide median: 6.6%
California statewide median: 12.0%
On the map
Where the best Irvine suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Irvine for 2026
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 2020-2024 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, Newport Beach.
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 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Irvine suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Irvine Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newport Beach | 12.86 | 83,845 | $156,867 | $3,625,146 |
| 2 | Villa Park | 13.00 | 5,748 | $202,245 | $2,343,977 |
| 3 | Dana Point | 13.71 | 32,790 | $141,520 | $1,736,393 |
| 4 | La Palma | 14.21 | 15,272 | $117,989 | $1,203,550 |
| 5 | Aliso Viejo | 15.79 | 51,113 | $142,439 | $1,012,225 |
| 6 | Yorba Linda | 16.00 | 67,170 | $157,582 | $1,419,513 |
| 7 | Laguna Beach | 16.71 | 22,710 | $143,843 | $2,949,835 |
| 8 | Eastvale | 17.33 | 70,633 | $160,069 | $949,255 |
| 9 | La Habra Heights | 17.50 | 5,478 | $179,583 | $1,399,870 |
| 10 | Mission Viejo | 18.07 | 92,151 | $136,123 | $1,229,743 |
| 11 | San Clemente | 18.43 | 63,273 | $140,062 | $1,721,005 |
| 12 | Rancho Santa Margarita | 20.71 | 46,990 | $152,560 | $1,029,346 |
| 13 | Cerritos | 21.14 | 47,867 | $135,439 | $1,094,901 |
| 14 | El Cerrito | 22.43 | 25,994 | $127,876 | $1,142,479 |
| 15 | Laguna Niguel | 23.14 | 64,139 | $140,452 | $1,499,546 |
| 16 | Cypress | 23.86 | 49,498 | $130,215 | $1,085,691 |
| 17 | La Mirada | 24.07 | 47,180 | $109,288 | $887,479 |
| 18 | Huntington Beach | 24.14 | 195,240 | $120,919 | $1,366,658 |
| 19 | Lake Forest | 24.29 | 86,281 | $135,175 | $1,208,686 |
| 20 | Brea | 24.57 | 47,469 | $131,129 | $1,140,406 |
| 21 | Laguna Hills | 25.14 | 30,740 | $128,851 | $1,243,180 |
| 22 | Walnut | 25.93 | 27,611 | $129,449 | $1,197,951 |
| 23 | Fountain Valley | 26.00 | 56,258 | $115,237 | $1,394,237 |
| 24 | Lakewood | 26.14 | 79,850 | $119,177 | $882,502 |
| 25 | San Juan Capistrano | 27.14 | 35,095 | $129,457 | $1,342,011 |
| 26 | Canyon Lake | 28.29 | 11,119 | $126,926 | $704,581 |
| 27 | Placentia | 29.71 | 52,826 | $115,929 | $1,117,228 |
| 28 | Costa Mesa | 31.57 | 110,330 | $111,505 | $1,413,322 |
| 29 | Diamond Bar | 31.86 | 53,355 | $108,281 | $1,028,880 |
| 30 | Seal Beach | 31.93 | 24,722 | $85,964 | $848,899 |
| 31 | Orange | 32.07 | 138,266 | $117,113 | $1,143,788 |
| 32 | Norco | 33.64 | 25,054 | $127,566 | $918,950 |
| 33 | Tustin | 33.79 | 78,981 | $112,503 | $1,189,731 |
| 34 | San Dimas | 35.43 | 33,789 | $105,321 | $927,055 |
| 35 | Signal Hill | 35.57 | 11,468 | $113,298 | $708,079 |
| 36 | Buena Park | 36.36 | 82,871 | $110,550 | $940,507 |
| 37 | Chino Hills | 36.71 | 77,927 | $126,334 | $996,262 |
| 38 | Whittier | 39.86 | 86,165 | $97,201 | $821,843 |
| 39 | Downey | 41.14 | 110,939 | $90,699 | $888,710 |
| 40 | Fullerton | 41.86 | 140,968 | $104,286 | $1,050,945 |
| 41 | Los Alamitos | 41.86 | 11,794 | $97,155 | $1,583,957 |
| 42 | La Habra | 42.29 | 61,970 | $100,106 | $911,595 |
| 43 | Covina | 42.43 | 49,888 | $98,671 | $804,341 |
| 44 | West Covina | 42.50 | 107,037 | $101,065 | $852,373 |
| 45 | Corona | 42.79 | 159,670 | $109,242 | $764,386 |
| 46 | Norwalk | 44.00 | 99,789 | $100,085 | $763,283 |
| 47 | Garden Grove | 44.50 | 170,964 | $92,174 | $1,013,183 |
| 48 | Santa Ana | 44.86 | 312,534 | $93,999 | $866,066 |
| 49 | Artesia | 45.57 | 15,889 | $101,004 | $878,198 |
| 50 | Carson | 45.93 | 92,871 | $108,703 | $799,422 |
| 51 | Laguna Woods | 46.36 | 17,289 | $59,269 | $471,410 |
| 52 | Pico Rivera | 46.71 | 60,272 | $88,201 | $753,243 |
| 53 | Westminster | 47.21 | 89,860 | $85,541 | $1,097,353 |
| 54 | Chino | 47.36 | 92,652 | $104,682 | $761,426 |
| 55 | Santa Fe Springs | 48.36 | 18,871 | $88,238 | $783,370 |
| 56 | Anaheim | 48.43 | 344,521 | $95,227 | $950,504 |
| 57 | Long Beach | 49.43 | 455,548 | $87,430 | $857,861 |
| 58 | Bellflower | 51.29 | 76,819 | $78,722 | $801,999 |
| 59 | La Puente | 52.14 | 37,142 | $86,602 | $723,135 |
| 60 | Lake Elsinore | 52.29 | 72,461 | $101,888 | $586,598 |
| 61 | Hawaiian Gardens | 52.64 | 13,691 | $76,341 | $647,289 |
| 62 | Stanton | 53.57 | 39,402 | $84,707 | $793,738 |
| 63 | Lakeland | 54.71 | 119,961 | $64,185 | $311,156 |
| 64 | Paramount | 55.21 | 52,050 | $75,250 | $648,287 |
| 65 | Riverside | 55.29 | 319,069 | $91,045 | $646,784 |
| 66 | Midway | 55.36 | 3,511 | $63,381 | $248,338 |
| 67 | Jurupa Valley | 56.67 | 107,011 | $97,550 | $672,514 |
| 68 | Ontario | 57.00 | 180,547 | $88,941 | $672,742 |
| 69 | Bell Gardens | 57.29 | 38,229 | $62,298 | $690,424 |
| 70 | Wildomar | 57.36 | 37,277 | $103,506 | $655,219 |
| 71 | Pomona | 58.43 | 147,943 | $79,479 | $690,986 |
| 72 | Montclair | 58.93 | 37,810 | $77,659 | $660,566 |
| 73 | Lynwood | 60.00 | 64,578 | $74,844 | $688,936 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 73 suburbs within 30 miles of Irvine.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Irvine ‘Burbs of 2026
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 Newport Beach, Villa Park, Dana Point, La Palma, Aliso Viejo, Yorba Linda, Laguna Beach, Eastvale, La Habra Heights, and Mission Viejo.
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. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Irvine FAQs
What is the best suburb of Irvine?
Newport Beach is the best suburb of Irvine for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Villa Park and Dana Point are next.
What are the best suburbs of Irvine?
The best suburbs of Irvine are Newport Beach, Villa Park, Dana Point, La Palma, Aliso Viejo, Yorba Linda, Laguna Beach, Eastvale, La Habra Heights, and Mission Viejo. We ranked all 73 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Newport Beach?
The median household income in Newport Beach is $156,867 and the median home costs $3,625,146. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Irvine?
Any place within 30 miles of Irvine qualifies. 73 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Irvine suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Newport Beach, takes the crown.
