More and more people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Anaheim to avoid all the hustle and bustle.
So the question arises: what suburbs of Anaheim are the worst?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Anaheim ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Anaheim area if you will. Realistically, you can only expect some of the suburbs to live up to Anaheim proper, although Sierra Madre certainly tries.
We examined the 103 biggest suburbs of Anaheim to find out the worst places to live. And while you won’t necessarily find them on the worst places to live in California lists, these places are a little too far downwind of Anaheim in terms of quality of life.
$71,208 median income · $493,150 median home price
Located in
San Bernardino County, California
We’ll get the ball rolling with Colton, the absolute worst place to live around Anaheim according to the data.
And in the world of worst rankings, Colton beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 10th worst in the Anaheim area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 5th worst when it comes to home values.
But hey, at least it’s cheap to live there. But there’s a reason for that… it’s Colton.
You won’t feel bad about not having a great income for the area. There aren’t a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$56,615 median income · $680,366 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Welcome to Cudahy. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.
This city is 25.3 miles to Anaheim. Income levels here are the lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $56,615 a year, which only goes so far even on a shoestring budget.
But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$60,943 median income · $652,495 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Back up the highway we go for the third worst Anaheim suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Maywood on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that’s an understatement.
In terms of numbers, it’s in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school dropout rate is poor compared to other Anaheim suburbs.
But at least there are lovely parks to bring the kids during the day.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$59,996 median income · $675,536 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
If you live in Huntington Park, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 3rd lowest Anaheim suburb for median household incomes.
Not only that, but this is the 4th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Anaheim. Remember, we looked at 103 cities for this study.
Huntington Park is about 27.6 miles to downtown.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$72,990 median income · $762,159 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
South El Monte has the distinction of being a Anaheim suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.
All snarkiness aside, South El Monte has the 32nd lowest home values in the metro Anaheim area, where the median price is $762,159. The median income is $214,167.
South El Monte has an unemployment rate of 7.4% which ranks 13th worst.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$78,465 median income · $637,961 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Compton has 92,698 residents that probably know it’s a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you’ve ever been there, you don’t need to look at the data.)
Incomes are towards the bottom, and the poverty rate sits at 17.9%.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
$74,844 median income · $688,936 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Ah, Lynwood. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Anaheim.
It’s the place with the 3rd most out of work residents in the Anaheim metro area (9.8%).
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$61,020 median income · $688,070 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Bell is a city about 25.5 miles from Anaheim, but Anaheim probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a worse place to live. Bell has the 9th most uninsured people, 5th worst incomes, and has the 22nd highest unemployment rate (6.9%) in the entire Anaheim metro area.
Homes only cost $688,070 for a reason. That’s cheap for Anaheim standards.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$88,857 median income · $588,566 median home price
Located in
San Bernardino County, California
If you absolutely have to live near Anaheim, then Rialto might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Anaheim suburb.
About 7.7% of residents are out of work.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$77,659 median income · $660,566 median home price
Located in
San Bernardino County, California
Rounding out the ten worst Anaheim suburbs to call home is Montclair.
Located 15.3 miles outside the city, Montclair is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 24th highest unemployment rate (6.8%), and poverty is far above the area average.
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 worst Anaheim suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Anaheim for 2026
To figure out how bad a Anaheim suburb is to live in, we used Saturday Night Science to identify the kinds of things people like and then decide what suburbs have the least amount of those things.
Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2020-2024, this is the criteria we used:
- High unemployment rate
- Low median household incomes
- Low population density (no things to do)
- Low home values
- A lot of high school dropouts
- High poverty
- High rate of uninsured families
We defined a suburb as any town within 30 miles of Anaheim.
We also limited the analysis to places with over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 103 suburbs to evaluate around Anaheim.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 103 in each category, where 1 was the worst.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index, the “Worst Suburb near Anaheim.” We’re looking at you, Colton.
We updated this article for 2026, which reflects our eleventh time ranking the worst suburbs around Anaheim.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Worst Anaheim Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Worst Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colton | 17.36 | 53,772 | $71,208 | $493,150 |
| 2 | Cudahy | 19.00 | 22,087 | $56,615 | $680,366 |
| 3 | Maywood | 19.14 | 24,317 | $60,943 | $652,495 |
| 4 | Huntington Park | 19.29 | 53,108 | $59,996 | $675,536 |
| 5 | South El Monte | 19.86 | 19,287 | $72,990 | $762,159 |
| 6 | Compton | 21.43 | 92,698 | $78,465 | $637,961 |
| 7 | Lynwood | 22.43 | 64,578 | $74,844 | $688,936 |
| 8 | Bell | 22.71 | 32,476 | $61,020 | $688,070 |
| 9 | Rialto | 24.00 | 104,143 | $88,857 | $588,566 |
| 10 | Montclair | 25.21 | 37,810 | $77,659 | $660,566 |
| 11 | Bell Gardens | 25.43 | 38,229 | $62,298 | $690,424 |
| 12 | Pomona | 26.36 | 147,943 | $79,479 | $690,986 |
| 13 | South Gate | 27.00 | 91,483 | $74,571 | $700,783 |
| 14 | Ontario | 27.57 | 180,547 | $88,941 | $672,742 |
| 15 | Commerce | 27.86 | 11,993 | $77,064 | $696,480 |
| 16 | Midway | 28.50 | 3,511 | $63,381 | $248,338 |
| 17 | El Monte | 28.71 | 106,109 | $68,030 | $765,444 |
| 18 | Lakeland | 29.71 | 119,961 | $64,185 | $311,156 |
| 19 | Paramount | 30.86 | 52,050 | $75,250 | $648,287 |
| 20 | Jurupa Valley | 31.42 | 107,011 | $97,550 | $672,514 |
| 21 | Riverside | 31.57 | 319,069 | $91,045 | $646,784 |
| 22 | Montebello | 32.36 | 61,045 | $79,971 | $827,435 |
| 23 | Stanton | 33.57 | 39,402 | $84,707 | $793,738 |
| 24 | Lake Elsinore | 33.71 | 72,461 | $101,888 | $586,598 |
| 25 | Baldwin Park | 33.71 | 70,138 | $80,663 | $722,511 |
| 26 | Azusa | 33.86 | 49,031 | $90,721 | $715,154 |
| 27 | Hawaiian Gardens | 34.14 | 13,691 | $76,341 | $647,289 |
| 28 | Fontana | 34.64 | 214,169 | $102,821 | $639,032 |
| 29 | La Puente | 35.57 | 37,142 | $86,602 | $723,135 |
| 30 | Bellflower | 35.86 | 76,819 | $78,722 | $801,999 |
| 31 | Grand Terrace | 38.43 | 13,078 | $83,628 | $587,468 |
| 32 | Long Beach | 38.71 | 455,548 | $87,430 | $857,861 |
| 33 | Santa Fe Springs | 39.64 | 18,871 | $88,238 | $783,370 |
| 34 | Rosemead | 39.86 | 50,013 | $73,566 | $913,339 |
| 35 | Laguna Woods | 40.07 | 17,289 | $59,269 | $471,410 |
| 36 | Chino | 41.07 | 92,652 | $104,682 | $761,426 |
| 37 | Westminster | 41.07 | 89,860 | $85,541 | $1,097,353 |
| 38 | Carson | 43.21 | 92,871 | $108,703 | $799,422 |
| 39 | Artesia | 43.29 | 15,889 | $101,004 | $878,198 |
| 40 | Pico Rivera | 43.43 | 60,272 | $88,201 | $753,243 |
| 41 | Temple | 44.07 | 5,901 | $91,180 | $284,500 |
| 42 | Garden Grove | 46.64 | 170,964 | $92,174 | $1,013,183 |
| 43 | Norwalk | 47.00 | 99,789 | $100,085 | $763,283 |
| 44 | Santa Ana | 47.14 | 312,534 | $93,999 | $866,066 |
| 45 | Monterey Park | 47.50 | 59,132 | $81,855 | $934,098 |
| 46 | Los Alamitos | 47.50 | 11,794 | $97,155 | $1,583,957 |
| 47 | Covina | 47.71 | 49,888 | $98,671 | $804,341 |
| 48 | Corona | 48.07 | 159,670 | $109,242 | $764,386 |
| 49 | La Habra | 48.14 | 61,970 | $100,106 | $911,595 |
| 50 | West Covina | 48.21 | 107,037 | $101,065 | $852,373 |
| 51 | Fullerton | 49.21 | 140,968 | $104,286 | $1,050,945 |
| 52 | Duarte | 49.64 | 22,184 | $105,483 | $801,444 |
| 53 | Downey | 50.43 | 110,939 | $90,699 | $888,710 |
| 54 | Whittier | 52.36 | 86,165 | $97,201 | $821,843 |
| 55 | Monrovia | 52.50 | 37,571 | $96,021 | $992,558 |
| 56 | Upland | 54.21 | 79,257 | $105,830 | $825,789 |
| 57 | San Gabriel | 54.71 | 38,392 | $90,488 | $1,121,301 |
| 58 | Alhambra | 54.86 | 81,022 | $88,024 | $937,892 |
| 59 | Chino Hills | 55.00 | 77,927 | $126,334 | $996,262 |
| 60 | Rancho Cucamonga | 55.64 | 175,411 | $111,895 | $792,765 |
| 61 | Buena Park | 56.79 | 82,871 | $110,550 | $940,507 |
| 62 | San Dimas | 56.86 | 33,789 | $105,321 | $927,055 |
| 63 | La Verne | 57.57 | 30,600 | $103,761 | $951,548 |
| 64 | Signal Hill | 57.93 | 11,468 | $113,298 | $708,079 |
| 65 | Glendora | 59.00 | 50,926 | $113,569 | $893,350 |
| 66 | Norco | 59.50 | 25,054 | $127,566 | $918,950 |
| 67 | Tustin | 59.79 | 78,981 | $112,503 | $1,189,731 |
| 68 | Costa Mesa | 62.50 | 110,330 | $111,505 | $1,413,322 |
| 69 | Seal Beach | 62.50 | 24,722 | $85,964 | $848,899 |
| 70 | Orange | 63.07 | 138,266 | $117,113 | $1,143,788 |
| 71 | Diamond Bar | 63.21 | 53,355 | $108,281 | $1,028,880 |
| 72 | Placentia | 65.43 | 52,826 | $115,929 | $1,117,228 |
| 73 | Irvine | 66.64 | 311,690 | $136,719 | $1,557,982 |
| 74 | San Juan Capistrano | 66.79 | 35,095 | $129,457 | $1,342,011 |
| 75 | Walnut | 69.21 | 27,611 | $129,449 | $1,197,951 |
| 76 | Lakewood | 69.71 | 79,850 | $119,177 | $882,502 |
| 77 | Arcadia | 69.71 | 55,170 | $113,516 | $1,414,451 |
| 78 | Laguna Hills | 70.14 | 30,740 | $128,851 | $1,243,180 |
| 79 | Fountain Valley | 70.29 | 56,258 | $115,237 | $1,394,237 |
| 80 | Claremont | 71.07 | 36,595 | $125,647 | $1,039,337 |
| 81 | Brea | 71.71 | 47,469 | $131,129 | $1,140,406 |
| 82 | Huntington Beach | 71.86 | 195,240 | $120,919 | $1,366,658 |
| 83 | La Mirada | 71.93 | 47,180 | $109,288 | $887,479 |
| 84 | Lake Forest | 72.29 | 86,281 | $135,175 | $1,208,686 |
| 85 | Laguna Niguel | 72.29 | 64,139 | $140,452 | $1,499,546 |
| 86 | Cypress | 72.29 | 49,498 | $130,215 | $1,085,691 |
| 87 | El Cerrito | 74.71 | 25,994 | $127,876 | $1,142,479 |
| 88 | Rancho Santa Margarita | 75.71 | 46,990 | $152,560 | $1,029,346 |
| 89 | Cerritos | 76.71 | 47,867 | $135,439 | $1,094,901 |
| 90 | La Habra Heights | 78.36 | 5,478 | $179,583 | $1,399,870 |
| 91 | San Clemente | 78.86 | 63,273 | $140,062 | $1,721,005 |
| 92 | Mission Viejo | 80.21 | 92,151 | $136,123 | $1,229,743 |
| 93 | San Marino | 81.71 | 12,216 | $214,167 | $2,837,216 |
| 94 | Eastvale | 81.83 | 70,633 | $160,069 | $949,255 |
| 95 | Yorba Linda | 82.00 | 67,170 | $157,582 | $1,419,513 |
| 96 | Laguna Beach | 82.00 | 22,710 | $143,843 | $2,949,835 |
| 97 | Aliso Viejo | 82.21 | 51,113 | $142,439 | $1,012,225 |
| 98 | La Palma | 84.36 | 15,272 | $117,989 | $1,203,550 |
| 99 | Dana Point | 85.43 | 32,790 | $141,520 | $1,736,393 |
| 100 | Villa Park | 85.43 | 5,748 | $202,245 | $2,343,977 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 103 suburbs within 30 miles of Anaheim.
Summary
Summary: The areas around Anaheim where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2026
Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Anaheim with Colton casting itself ahead of the pack.
The worst suburbs of Anaheim are Colton, Cudahy, Maywood, Huntington Park, South El Monte, Compton, Lynwood, Bell, Rialto, and Montclair.
As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Anaheim aren’t all bad. Sierra Madre takes the cake as the best place to live around Anaheim. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Suburbs Of Anaheim FAQs
What is the worst suburb of Anaheim?
Colton ranks as the worst suburb around Anaheim for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Cudahy and Maywood are next on the list.
What are the worst suburbs of Anaheim?
The worst-ranked suburbs around Anaheim are Colton, Cudahy, Maywood, Huntington Park, South El Monte, Compton, Lynwood, Bell, Rialto, and Montclair. We scored all 103 places within 30 miles.
Why does Colton rank as the worst suburb?
Colton posts the roughest combined numbers of the 103 suburbs we scored: a median household income of $71,208, a median home value of $493,150, and a poverty rate of 13.7%.
What is the best-ranked suburb near Anaheim?
Sierra Madre lands at the opposite end of this ranking, making it the best-ranked suburb near Anaheim by these measures. Our separate best suburbs of Anaheim list covers that side properly.
How do you rank the worst suburbs?
Suburbs are scored on unemployment, income, density, home values, dropouts, poverty, and insurance coverage, using Census American Community Survey data. Real numbers, light heart — every one of these towns has people making it work.
