More and more people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Glendale to avoid all the hustle and bustle.
So the question arises: what suburbs of Glendale are the worst?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Glendale ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Glendale area if you will. Realistically, you can only expect some of the suburbs to live up to Glendale proper, although Manhattan Beach certainly tries.
We examined the 81 biggest suburbs of Glendale 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 Glendale in terms of quality of life.
$81,770 median income · $501,257 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
We’ll get the ball rolling with Palmdale, the absolute worst place to live around Glendale according to the data.
And in the world of worst rankings, Palmdale beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 2worst in the Glendale area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 2nd 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 Palmdale.
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 15.4 miles to Glendale. 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
$59,996 median income · $675,536 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Back up the highway we go for the third worst Glendale suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Huntington Park 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 Glendale suburbs.
But at least there are lovely parks to bring the kids during the day.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$72,990 median income · $762,159 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
If you live in South El Monte, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 8th lowest Glendale suburb for median household incomes.
Not only that, but this is the 20th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Glendale. Remember, we looked at 81 cities for this study.
South El Monte is about 14.5 miles to downtown.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$60,943 median income · $652,495 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Maywood has the distinction of being a Glendale suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.
All snarkiness aside, Maywood has the 6th lowest home values in the metro Glendale area, where the median price is $652,495. The median income is $250,001.
Maywood has an unemployment rate of 7.8% which ranks 16th 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 Glendale.
It’s the place with the 4th most out of work residents in the Glendale 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 14.4 miles from Glendale, but Glendale 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, 4th worst incomes, and has the 25th highest unemployment rate (6.9%) in the entire Glendale metro area.
Homes only cost $688,070 for a reason. That’s cheap for Glendale standards.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$62,298 median income · $690,424 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
If you absolutely have to live near Glendale, then Bell Gardens might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Glendale suburb.
About 5.9% of residents are out of work.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$79,479 median income · $690,986 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Rounding out the ten worst Glendale suburbs to call home is Pomona.
Located 29.0 miles outside the city, Pomona is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 28th highest unemployment rate (6.6%), 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 Glendale suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Glendale for 2026
To figure out how bad a Glendale 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 Glendale.
We also limited the analysis to places with over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 81 suburbs to evaluate around Glendale.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 81 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 Glendale.” We’re looking at you, Palmdale.
We updated this article for 2026, which reflects our eleventh time ranking the worst suburbs around Glendale.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Worst Glendale Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Worst Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palmdale | 14.50 | 164,634 | $81,770 | $501,257 |
| 2 | Cudahy | 14.71 | 22,087 | $56,615 | $680,366 |
| 3 | Huntington Park | 15.00 | 53,108 | $59,996 | $675,536 |
| 4 | South El Monte | 15.00 | 19,287 | $72,990 | $762,159 |
| 5 | Maywood | 16.14 | 24,317 | $60,943 | $652,495 |
| 6 | Compton | 17.29 | 92,698 | $78,465 | $637,961 |
| 7 | Lynwood | 17.43 | 64,578 | $74,844 | $688,936 |
| 8 | Bell | 18.29 | 32,476 | $61,020 | $688,070 |
| 9 | Bell Gardens | 20.43 | 38,229 | $62,298 | $690,424 |
| 10 | Pomona | 20.86 | 147,943 | $79,479 | $690,986 |
| 11 | Commerce | 22.43 | 11,993 | $77,064 | $696,480 |
| 12 | South Gate | 22.71 | 91,483 | $74,571 | $700,783 |
| 13 | El Monte | 23.14 | 106,109 | $68,030 | $765,444 |
| 14 | Inglewood | 24.43 | 104,569 | $72,750 | $763,568 |
| 15 | Paramount | 25.29 | 52,050 | $75,250 | $648,287 |
| 16 | Montebello | 26.43 | 61,045 | $79,971 | $827,435 |
| 17 | Azusa | 26.64 | 49,031 | $90,721 | $715,154 |
| 18 | Lawndale | 26.71 | 30,781 | $85,441 | $777,393 |
| 19 | Baldwin Park | 27.71 | 70,138 | $80,663 | $722,511 |
| 20 | Hawaiian Gardens | 27.86 | 13,691 | $76,341 | $647,289 |
| 21 | Los Angeles | 28.21 | 3,857,263 | $81,939 | $952,183 |
| 22 | Hawthorne | 28.21 | 85,191 | $75,848 | $883,585 |
| 23 | Bellflower | 29.71 | 76,819 | $78,722 | $801,999 |
| 24 | La Puente | 29.71 | 37,142 | $86,602 | $723,135 |
| 25 | San Fernando | 30.29 | 23,632 | $83,024 | $753,549 |
| 26 | Long Beach | 32.00 | 455,548 | $87,430 | $857,861 |
| 27 | Santa Fe Springs | 32.21 | 18,871 | $88,238 | $783,370 |
| 28 | Rosemead | 32.29 | 50,013 | $73,566 | $913,339 |
| 29 | Gardena | 34.14 | 59,422 | $84,803 | $792,922 |
| 30 | Pico Rivera | 34.57 | 60,272 | $88,201 | $753,243 |
| 31 | Artesia | 34.79 | 15,889 | $101,004 | $878,198 |
| 32 | Temple | 35.50 | 5,901 | $91,180 | $284,500 |
| 33 | Carson | 35.86 | 92,871 | $108,703 | $799,422 |
| 34 | Monterey Park | 38.21 | 59,132 | $81,855 | $934,098 |
| 35 | Norwalk | 38.29 | 99,789 | $100,085 | $763,283 |
| 36 | Covina | 38.43 | 49,888 | $98,671 | $804,341 |
| 37 | Los Alamitos | 38.50 | 11,794 | $97,155 | $1,583,957 |
| 38 | West Covina | 38.57 | 107,037 | $101,065 | $852,373 |
| 39 | La Habra | 39.21 | 61,970 | $100,106 | $911,595 |
| 40 | Fullerton | 39.93 | 140,968 | $104,286 | $1,050,945 |
| 41 | Downey | 41.14 | 110,939 | $90,699 | $888,710 |
| 42 | Duarte | 41.43 | 22,184 | $105,483 | $801,444 |
| 43 | Whittier | 41.64 | 86,165 | $97,201 | $821,843 |
| 44 | Monrovia | 43.14 | 37,571 | $96,021 | $992,558 |
| 45 | Pasadena | 43.29 | 136,969 | $105,192 | $1,209,228 |
| 46 | San Gabriel | 43.93 | 38,392 | $90,488 | $1,121,301 |
| 47 | Lomita | 44.64 | 20,225 | $93,810 | $921,951 |
| 48 | Signal Hill | 44.64 | 11,468 | $113,298 | $708,079 |
| 49 | Alhambra | 45.57 | 81,022 | $88,024 | $937,892 |
| 50 | San Dimas | 45.79 | 33,789 | $105,321 | $927,055 |
| 51 | Buena Park | 46.29 | 82,871 | $110,550 | $940,507 |
| 52 | La Verne | 46.79 | 30,600 | $103,761 | $951,548 |
| 53 | Santa Clarita | 46.93 | 230,221 | $123,062 | $802,016 |
| 54 | Glendora | 46.93 | 50,926 | $113,569 | $893,350 |
| 55 | West Hollywood | 47.36 | 34,884 | $96,995 | $1,019,551 |
| 56 | Simi Valley | 49.86 | 125,634 | $122,081 | $844,909 |
| 57 | Diamond Bar | 51.07 | 53,355 | $108,281 | $1,028,880 |
| 58 | Calabasas | 51.50 | 22,669 | $165,288 | $1,722,904 |
| 59 | Beverly Hills | 51.71 | 31,624 | $132,977 | $3,662,756 |
| 60 | Lakewood | 53.29 | 79,850 | $119,177 | $882,502 |
| 61 | Torrance | 54.14 | 142,130 | $116,217 | $1,124,932 |
| 62 | Arcadia | 54.29 | 55,170 | $113,516 | $1,414,451 |
| 63 | Santa Monica | 54.43 | 91,169 | $114,885 | $1,703,948 |
| 64 | La Mirada | 54.50 | 47,180 | $109,288 | $887,479 |
| 65 | Cypress | 54.79 | 49,498 | $130,215 | $1,085,691 |
| 66 | Walnut | 54.79 | 27,611 | $129,449 | $1,197,951 |
| 67 | Brea | 56.50 | 47,469 | $131,129 | $1,140,406 |
| 68 | Rolling Hills Estates | 58.50 | 8,131 | $191,895 | $1,901,413 |
| 69 | Cerritos | 58.64 | 47,867 | $135,439 | $1,094,901 |
| 70 | La Habra Heights | 59.00 | 5,478 | $179,583 | $1,399,870 |
| 71 | El Segundo | 60.50 | 16,769 | $150,737 | $1,759,408 |
| 72 | Agoura Hills | 61.36 | 19,721 | $171,302 | $1,259,726 |
| 73 | San Marino | 62.86 | 12,216 | $214,167 | $2,837,216 |
| 74 | La Palma | 63.86 | 15,272 | $117,989 | $1,203,550 |
| 75 | Hidden Hills | 64.64 | 2,150 | $250,001 | $5,059,063 |
| 76 | Sierra Madre | 65.14 | 10,940 | $143,547 | $1,437,492 |
| 77 | South Pasadena | 65.29 | 26,068 | $127,175 | $1,692,678 |
| 78 | Redondo Beach | 65.71 | 69,291 | $150,245 | $1,500,192 |
| 79 | Palos Verdes Estates | 68.21 | 12,925 | $242,014 | $2,763,820 |
| 80 | Hermosa Beach | 71.21 | 19,063 | $166,442 | $2,245,351 |
| 81 | Manhattan Beach | 74.07 | 34,210 | $204,306 | $3,227,202 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 81 suburbs within 30 miles of Glendale.
Summary
Summary: The areas around Glendale where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2026
Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Glendale with Palmdale casting itself ahead of the pack.
The worst suburbs of Glendale are Palmdale, Cudahy, Huntington Park, South El Monte, Maywood, Compton, Lynwood, Bell, Bell Gardens, and Pomona.
As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Glendale aren’t all bad. Manhattan Beach takes the cake as the best place to live around Glendale. 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 Glendale FAQs
What is the worst suburb of Glendale?
Palmdale ranks as the worst suburb around Glendale for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Cudahy and Huntington Park are next on the list.
What are the worst suburbs of Glendale?
The worst-ranked suburbs around Glendale are Palmdale, Cudahy, Huntington Park, South El Monte, Maywood, Compton, Lynwood, Bell, Bell Gardens, and Pomona. We scored all 81 places within 30 miles.
Why does Palmdale rank as the worst suburb?
Palmdale posts the roughest combined numbers of the 81 suburbs we scored: a median household income of $81,770, a median home value of $501,257, and a poverty rate of 15.7%.
What is the best-ranked suburb near Glendale?
Manhattan Beach lands at the opposite end of this ranking, making it the best-ranked suburb near Glendale by these measures. Our separate best suburbs of Glendale 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.
