What’s the best part of Santa Ana? It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Santa Ana are the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Santa Ana neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
If you’re thinking of moving to California and Santa Ana is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2026.
$114,710 median income · $666,200 median home value
$98,520 median income · $562,000 median home value
$95,710 median income · $492,140 median home value
$96,886 median income · $599,800 median home value
$107,376 median income · $592,500 median home value
$96,141 median income · $600,100 median home value
$101,625 median income · $608,700 median home value
$84,124 median income · $564,150 median home value
$94,036 median income · $579,800 median home value
$105,991 median income · $598,150 median home value
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
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Santa Ana, CA neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Santa Ana, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 55 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Santa Ana.” We’re lookin’ at you, Sandpointe.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Santa Ana, California has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Santa Ana.
The full plate
Table: Best Santa Ana neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandpointe | 4,412 | $666,200 | $114,710 |
| 2 | Wilshire Square | 5,172 | $562,000 | $98,520 |
| 3 | Memorial Park | 12,607 | $492,140 | $95,710 |
| 4 | Portola Park | 1,358 | $599,800 | $96,886 |
| 5 | Republic Homes | 1,217 | $592,500 | $107,376 |
| 6 | Thornton Park | 4,126 | $600,100 | $96,141 |
| 7 | Edna Park | 628 | $608,700 | $101,625 |
| 8 | Morning Sunwood | 2,698 | $564,150 | $84,124 |
| 9 | Bristol-Warner | 3,205 | $579,800 | $94,036 |
| 10 | Sunwood Central | 5,835 | $598,150 | $105,991 |
| 11 | Floral Park | 2,081 | $769,950 | $92,853 |
| 12 | Riverglen | 449 | $830,600 | $68,750 |
| 13 | Laurelhurst | 1,655 | $572,600 | $129,519 |
| 14 | West Grove Valley | 1,719 | $577,500 | $101,429 |
| 15 | Madison Park | 7,346 | $523,920 | $77,837 |
| 16 | West Floral Park | 3,285 | $615,067 | $90,561 |
| 17 | Fisher Park | 1,295 | $639,400 | $115,058 |
| 18 | Eastside | 13,668 | $471,625 | $62,877 |
| 19 | Valley Adams | 3,144 | $483,700 | $79,516 |
| 20 | Park Santiago | 5,112 | $626,700 | $83,183 |
| 21 | Grand Sunrise | 704 | $533,700 | $73,969 |
| 22 | Riverview West | 32,911 | $485,875 | $69,566 |
| 23 | Windsor Village | 3,128 | $546,000 | $110,341 |
| 24 | Concord | 899 | $598,700 | $116,335 |
| 25 | Washington Square | 4,116 | $617,350 | $70,270 |
| 26 | South Coast | 3,168 | $413,267 | $82,489 |
| 27 | Fairbridge Square | 309 | $433,900 | $82,951 |
| 28 | Lacy | 6,258 | $506,567 | $50,519 |
| 29 | Artesia Pilar | 14,248 | $489,350 | $73,812 |
| 30 | Northwest | 828 | $648,150 | $62,644 |
| 31 | Centennial Park | 3,324 | $495,250 | $82,359 |
| 32 | Mabury Park | 2,797 | $519,600 | $75,576 |
| 33 | Saddleback View | 1,580 | $570,700 | $64,366 |
| 34 | Flower Park | 5,166 | $394,000 | $59,043 |
| 35 | Meredith Parkwood | 2,480 | $587,400 | $76,426 |
| 36 | Riverview | 4,272 | $618,200 | $82,570 |
| 37 | Delhi | 5,406 | $467,525 | $86,884 |
| 38 | Shadow Run | 1,686 | $388,100 | $53,650 |
| 39 | Central City | 7,331 | $484,925 | $84,606 |
| 40 | Santa Ana Triangle | 1,921 | $551,300 | $54,199 |
| 41 | Bella Vista | 4,633 | $456,833 | $73,842 |
| 42 | Cornerstone Village | 3,721 | $476,700 | $60,801 |
| 43 | Logan | 1,772 | $459,733 | $57,094 |
| 44 | New Horizons | 4,380 | $450,850 | $67,750 |
| 45 | Mid-City | 8,886 | $369,700 | $61,060 |
| 46 | Morrison-Eldridge Par | 2,072 | $526,850 | $46,016 |
| 47 | Heninger Park | 6,873 | $457,633 | $54,768 |
| 48 | Pico-Lowell | 10,654 | $448,500 | $62,386 |
| 49 | Bristol Memory | 843 | $526,850 | $46,016 |
| 50 | Cedar Evergreen | 1,381 | $417,200 | $44,063 |
| 51 | French Park | 2,313 | $425,067 | $47,716 |
| 52 | Santa Anita | 11,893 | $393,975 | $65,397 |
| 53 | Lyon Street | 4,667 | $297,350 | $57,749 |
| 54 | French Court | 2,103 | $396,600 | $47,222 |
| 55 | Mar-Les | 763 | $229,900 | $64,427 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 55 Santa Ana neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Santa Ana
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Santa Ana where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Santa Ana are Sandpointe, Wilshire Square, Memorial Park, Portola Park, Republic Homes, Thornton Park, Edna Park, Morning Sunwood, Bristol-Warner, and Sunwood Central.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Santa Ana aren’t all good. Mar-Les takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Santa Ana.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Santa Ana FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Santa Ana?
Sandpointe is the best neighborhood in Santa Ana for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Wilshire Square and Memorial Park are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Santa Ana?
The best neighborhoods in Santa Ana are Sandpointe, Wilshire Square, Memorial Park, Portola Park, Republic Homes, Thornton Park, Edna Park, Morning Sunwood, Bristol-Warner, and Sunwood Central. We ranked all 55 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Sandpointe?
The median household income in Sandpointe is $114,710 and the median home costs $666,200. The best blocks in Santa Ana rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Santa Ana neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Sandpointe, takes the top spot.
Which Santa Ana neighborhood ranked last?
Mar-Les came in last of the 55 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Santa Ana the numbers put it there.
