Torrance 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 Torrance 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 Torrance: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$204,306 median income · $3,227,202 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Manhattan Beach is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Torrance area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Manhattan Beach.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $204,306 a year, which is the 4th highest in the Torrance region. And only 3.8% are out of work. Homes average more than $3,227,202 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$166,442 median income · $2,245,351 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Hermosa Beach is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Torrance for 2026.
It ranks 9th for incomes in the area and only 2.0% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$242,014 median income · $2,763,820 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Here in Palos Verdes Estates, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Torrance 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 Palos Verdes Estates.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $5,059,063 median home price
Hidden Hills ranks as the 4th best suburb of Torrance for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Hidden Hills and the schools are some of the best around.
$150,245 median income · $1,500,192 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Coming in as the fifth best is Redondo Beach.
Redondo Beach gets kudos for having the 15th most expensive homes in the Torrance area, where houses sell for an average of $1,500,192. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$127,175 median income · $1,692,678 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
South Pasadena 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 5.1%.
According to online reports, South Pasadena is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Torrance area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$179,623 median income · $1,824,948 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Rancho Palos Verdes.
Rancho Palos Verdes 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 5.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$143,547 median income · $1,437,492 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
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 3.3% of people lack insurance, good for 15th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$117,989 median income · $1,203,550 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$214,167 median income · $2,837,216 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is San Marino.
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 Torrance suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Torrance for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Torrance 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 Torrance.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 79 suburbs to evaluate around Torrance.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 79 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 Torrance.” We’re lookin’ at you, Manhattan 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 Torrance suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Torrance Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manhattan Beach | 8.64 | 34,210 | $204,306 | $3,227,202 |
| 2 | Hermosa Beach | 11.29 | 19,063 | $166,442 | $2,245,351 |
| 3 | Palos Verdes Estates | 14.36 | 12,925 | $242,014 | $2,763,820 |
| 4 | Hidden Hills | 16.79 | 2,150 | $250,001 | $5,059,063 |
| 5 | Redondo Beach | 17.71 | 69,291 | $150,245 | $1,500,192 |
| 6 | South Pasadena | 18.00 | 26,068 | $127,175 | $1,692,678 |
| 7 | Rancho Palos Verdes | 18.29 | 40,864 | $179,623 | $1,824,948 |
| 8 | Sierra Madre | 18.43 | 10,940 | $143,547 | $1,437,492 |
| 9 | La Palma | 19.21 | 15,272 | $117,989 | $1,203,550 |
| 10 | San Marino | 19.86 | 12,216 | $214,167 | $2,837,216 |
| 11 | El Segundo | 22.71 | 16,769 | $150,737 | $1,759,408 |
| 12 | La Habra Heights | 22.79 | 5,478 | $179,583 | $1,399,870 |
| 13 | Rolling Hills Estates | 23.29 | 8,131 | $191,895 | $1,901,413 |
| 14 | Cerritos | 25.21 | 47,867 | $135,439 | $1,094,901 |
| 15 | Brea | 26.57 | 47,469 | $131,129 | $1,140,406 |
| 16 | Huntington Beach | 27.00 | 195,240 | $120,919 | $1,366,658 |
| 17 | Cypress | 27.50 | 49,498 | $130,215 | $1,085,691 |
| 18 | Santa Monica | 27.79 | 91,169 | $114,885 | $1,703,948 |
| 19 | La Mirada | 28.00 | 47,180 | $109,288 | $887,479 |
| 20 | Lakewood | 28.14 | 79,850 | $119,177 | $882,502 |
| 21 | Fountain Valley | 28.21 | 56,258 | $115,237 | $1,394,237 |
| 22 | Malibu | 28.50 | 10,421 | $194,421 | $3,142,247 |
| 23 | Arcadia | 29.14 | 55,170 | $113,516 | $1,414,451 |
| 24 | Calabasas | 30.21 | 22,669 | $165,288 | $1,722,904 |
| 25 | Beverly Hills | 30.50 | 31,624 | $132,977 | $3,662,756 |
| 26 | Placentia | 30.79 | 52,826 | $115,929 | $1,117,228 |
| 27 | Seal Beach | 32.21 | 24,722 | $85,964 | $848,899 |
| 28 | Orange | 32.57 | 138,266 | $117,113 | $1,143,788 |
| 29 | Costa Mesa | 32.57 | 110,330 | $111,505 | $1,413,322 |
| 30 | West Hollywood | 34.07 | 34,884 | $96,995 | $1,019,551 |
| 31 | Alhambra | 35.71 | 81,022 | $88,024 | $937,892 |
| 32 | Buena Park | 36.29 | 82,871 | $110,550 | $940,507 |
| 33 | Lomita | 36.79 | 20,225 | $93,810 | $921,951 |
| 34 | San Gabriel | 36.86 | 38,392 | $90,488 | $1,121,301 |
| 35 | Signal Hill | 37.21 | 11,468 | $113,298 | $708,079 |
| 36 | Pasadena | 37.86 | 136,969 | $105,192 | $1,209,228 |
| 37 | Whittier | 39.50 | 86,165 | $97,201 | $821,843 |
| 38 | Downey | 40.00 | 110,939 | $90,699 | $888,710 |
| 39 | La Habra | 41.36 | 61,970 | $100,106 | $911,595 |
| 40 | Santa Ana | 41.57 | 312,534 | $93,999 | $866,066 |
| 41 | Fullerton | 41.93 | 140,968 | $104,286 | $1,050,945 |
| 42 | Los Alamitos | 42.36 | 11,794 | $97,155 | $1,583,957 |
| 43 | West Covina | 42.50 | 107,037 | $101,065 | $852,373 |
| 44 | Norwalk | 42.57 | 99,789 | $100,085 | $763,283 |
| 45 | Garden Grove | 43.29 | 170,964 | $92,174 | $1,013,183 |
| 46 | Monterey Park | 43.50 | 59,132 | $81,855 | $934,098 |
| 47 | Glendale | 43.86 | 190,748 | $88,393 | $1,201,880 |
| 48 | Temple | 44.64 | 5,901 | $91,180 | $284,500 |
| 49 | Artesia | 45.86 | 15,889 | $101,004 | $878,198 |
| 50 | Carson | 46.00 | 92,871 | $108,703 | $799,422 |
| 51 | Pico Rivera | 46.00 | 60,272 | $88,201 | $753,243 |
| 52 | Gardena | 46.57 | 59,422 | $84,803 | $792,922 |
| 53 | Santa Fe Springs | 47.36 | 18,871 | $88,238 | $783,370 |
| 54 | Westminster | 47.79 | 89,860 | $85,541 | $1,097,353 |
| 55 | Long Beach | 49.14 | 455,548 | $87,430 | $857,861 |
| 56 | Rosemead | 49.43 | 50,013 | $73,566 | $913,339 |
| 57 | Bellflower | 50.43 | 76,819 | $78,722 | $801,999 |
| 58 | La Puente | 50.86 | 37,142 | $86,602 | $723,135 |
| 59 | Stanton | 51.71 | 39,402 | $84,707 | $793,738 |
| 60 | Hawthorne | 52.43 | 85,191 | $75,848 | $883,585 |
| 61 | Hawaiian Gardens | 52.71 | 13,691 | $76,341 | $647,289 |
| 62 | Los Angeles | 53.50 | 3,857,263 | $81,939 | $952,183 |
| 63 | Baldwin Park | 53.57 | 70,138 | $80,663 | $722,511 |
| 64 | Lawndale | 53.86 | 30,781 | $85,441 | $777,393 |
| 65 | Montebello | 54.43 | 61,045 | $79,971 | $827,435 |
| 66 | Paramount | 55.43 | 52,050 | $75,250 | $648,287 |
| 67 | Inglewood | 56.29 | 104,569 | $72,750 | $763,568 |
| 68 | Midway | 56.50 | 3,511 | $63,381 | $248,338 |
| 69 | Commerce | 57.29 | 11,993 | $77,064 | $696,480 |
| 70 | South Gate | 57.43 | 91,483 | $74,571 | $700,783 |
| 71 | El Monte | 58.00 | 106,109 | $68,030 | $765,444 |
| 72 | Bell Gardens | 60.29 | 38,229 | $62,298 | $690,424 |
| 73 | Bell | 62.00 | 32,476 | $61,020 | $688,070 |
| 74 | Lynwood | 62.71 | 64,578 | $74,844 | $688,936 |
| 75 | Compton | 63.14 | 92,698 | $78,465 | $637,961 |
| 76 | Maywood | 64.14 | 24,317 | $60,943 | $652,495 |
| 77 | Huntington Park | 65.29 | 53,108 | $59,996 | $675,536 |
| 78 | Cudahy | 65.57 | 22,087 | $56,615 | $680,366 |
| 79 | South El Monte | 66.14 | 19,287 | $72,990 | $762,159 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 79 suburbs within 30 miles of Torrance.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Torrance ‘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 Torrance are Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Hidden Hills, Redondo Beach, South Pasadena, Rancho Palos Verdes, Sierra Madre, La Palma, and San Marino.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Torrance 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 Torrance FAQs
What is the best suburb of Torrance?
Manhattan Beach is the best suburb of Torrance for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Hermosa Beach and Palos Verdes Estates are next.
What are the best suburbs of Torrance?
The best suburbs of Torrance are Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Hidden Hills, Redondo Beach, South Pasadena, Rancho Palos Verdes, Sierra Madre, La Palma, and San Marino. We ranked all 79 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Manhattan Beach?
The median household income in Manhattan Beach is $204,306 and the median home costs $3,227,202. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Torrance?
Any place within 30 miles of Torrance qualifies. 79 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Torrance 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, Manhattan Beach, takes the crown.
