The 10 Best Ontario Suburbs To Live In For 2022


We analyzed over 75 places around Ontario to identify the most kickass place to live.

HomeSnacks is reader-supported. When you click through real estate links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best Ontario 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 Ontario 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 Ontario? Mission Viejo ranks as the best suburb of Ontario for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Mission Viejo, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.

We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Ontario '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 Ontario Suburbs To Live For 2022

Mission Viejo is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Ontario area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Mission Viejo."

Everyone here is rich; families average $121,299 a year, which is the 7th highest in the Ontario region. And only 4.16% are out of work. Homes average more than $732,100 each.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 95,638
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 4)
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

La Palma is the second best 'burb we looked at near Ontario for 2022.

It ranks 10th for incomes in the area and only 3.6% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 15,657
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $108,363
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 6.3%
More on La Palma: Real Estate | Data | Photos

La Palma, CA

Here in Yorba Linda, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Ontario 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 Yorba Linda.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 68,103
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $133,088
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Yorba Linda: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Yorba Linda, CA

San Marino ranks as the 4th best suburb of Ontario for 2022.

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

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 13,020
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 3)
Median Income: $164,423
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 7.1%
More on San Marino: Real Estate | Data | Photos

San Marino, CA

Coming in as the fifth best is Villa Park.

Villa Park gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Ontario area, where houses sell for an average of $1,238,800. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 5,883
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $164,476
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 7.5%
More on Villa Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Villa Park, CA

Rancho Santa Margarita 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 3.21% which is 6th best in the area.

According to online reports, Rancho Santa Margarita is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Ontario area, meaning you need to get in soon.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 48,280
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Income: $125,329
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Rancho Santa Margarita: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Cerritos.

Cerritos 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 29.2 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 49,388
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 2)
Median Income: $109,229
Unemployment Rate: 5.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.3%
More on Cerritos: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Cerritos, CA

Sierra Madre 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 4.74% of people lack insurance, good for 19th in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 10,829
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 5)
Median Income: $106,719
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 6.2%
More on Sierra Madre: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Sierra Madre, CA

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.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 25,280
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Income: $108,294
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 8.0%
More on El Cerrito: Real Estate | Data | Photos

El Cerrito, CA

Source: Public domain

And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Cypress.

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
/10

Population: 49,137
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Income: $102,005
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 6.6%
More on Cypress: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Cypress, CA

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Ontario for 2022

Figuring out the best suburbs around Ontario 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 Ontario.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 75 suburbs to evaluate around Ontario.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 75 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 Ontario." We're lookin' at you, Mission Viejo. 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 Ontario '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 Ontario, 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 Ontario Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income
1 Mission Viejo, CA 95,638 $121,299
2 La Palma, CA 15,657 $108,363
3 Yorba Linda, CA 68,103 $133,088
4 San Marino, CA 13,020 $164,423
5 Villa Park, CA 5,883 $164,476
6 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 48,280 $125,329
7 Cerritos, CA 49,388 $109,229
8 Sierra Madre, CA 10,829 $106,719
9 El Cerrito, CA 25,280 $108,294
10 Cypress, CA 49,137 $102,005
11 La Habra Heights, CA 5,318 $163,750
12 Eastvale, CA 65,766 $127,881
13 Arcadia, CA 57,053 $95,736
14 Diamond Bar, CA 55,870 $100,723
15 Walnut, CA 29,764 $108,264
16 Lake Forest, CA 84,666 $112,988
17 Placentia, CA 52,049 $100,707
18 Brea, CA 44,182 $100,969
19 Claremont, CA 35,610 $101,080
20 La Mirada, CA 48,260 $92,493
21 Irvine, CA 272,694 $108,318
22 Chino Hills, CA 82,800 $104,661
23 San Dimas, CA 33,812 $90,234
24 Tustin, CA 80,815 $88,386
25 Orange, CA 139,322 $96,605
26 Glendora, CA 51,087 $99,153
27 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 178,060 $92,290
28 Buena Park, CA 82,228 $84,680
29 La Verne, CA 32,346 $93,473
30 Monrovia, CA 37,636 $81,990
31 Norco, CA 27,021 $106,370
32 West Covina, CA 105,808 $85,626
33 San Gabriel, CA 40,108 $70,892
34 Whittier, CA 84,821 $76,026
35 Artesia, CA 16,456 $74,375
36 Fullerton, CA 141,061 $85,471
37 Upland, CA 77,348 $76,259
38 Corona, CA 168,112 $88,434
39 Covina, CA 47,787 $77,913
40 La Habra, CA 62,787 $83,532
41 Midway, CA 3,132 $51,005
42 Pico Rivera, CA 62,507 $70,620
43 Temple, CA 4,709 $67,628
44 Garden Grove, CA 172,800 $73,611
45 Norwalk, CA 104,524 $77,425
46 Rosemead, CA 53,850 $60,006
47 Redlands, CA 71,680 $81,265
48 Grand Terrace, CA 12,559 $70,200
49 Santa Fe Springs, CA 17,643 $69,922
50 Anaheim, CA 353,085 $76,723
51 Westminster, CA 90,857 $67,142
52 Chino, CA 89,170 $85,659
53 Duarte, CA 21,399 $82,620
54 Santa Ana, CA 332,610 $72,406
55 Fontana, CA 212,704 $75,681
56 Baldwin Park, CA 75,659 $68,741
57 Montebello, CA 62,697 $62,781
58 Riverside, CA 327,569 $72,738
59 Stanton, CA 38,317 $66,017
60 Azusa, CA 49,584 $65,912
61 La Puente, CA 39,780 $66,132
62 Loma Linda, CA 24,239 $56,021
63 El Monte, CA 113,917 $53,874
64 Lake Elsinore, CA 64,201 $74,490
65 South El Monte, CA 20,791 $54,208
66 Pomona, CA 151,124 $62,407
67 Jurupa Valley, CA 106,646 $77,787
68 Moreno Valley, CA 208,751 $70,385
69 Montclair, CA 40,041 $63,245
70 Colton, CA 54,215 $56,762
71 Rialto, CA 103,549 $65,538
72 Highland, CA 55,339 $62,956
73 Perris, CA 77,708 $66,926
74 Hesperia, CA 95,163 $54,149
75 San Bernardino, CA 216,784 $49,287

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.