The 10 Worst Anaheim Suburbs For 2023


We used data and Friday Night Science to identify the worst suburbs of Anaheim for 2023. The worst Anaheim suburbs are Commerce and Cudahy.

The suburbs of Anaheim call to all types of people looking to escape city life. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Anaheim to avoid all the hustle and bustle.

So the question arises: do the suburbs maintain a semblance of the larger-than-life appeal of their more famous neighbor?

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 San Marino certainly tries.

Of course, not all suburbs of Anaheim are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones.

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 ten places are a little too far downwind of Anaheim in terms of quality of life.

The 10 worst suburbs around Anaheim for 2023

  1. Commerce
  2. Cudahy
  3. Rialto
  4. Huntington Park
  5. Colton
  6. Montclair
  7. Compton
  8. Lakeland
  9. Lynwood
  10. Bell

Now don’t freak out.

What’s the worst suburb of Anaheim? Commerce ranks as the worst suburb of Anaheim for 2023 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Anaheim that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.

Or, if you’re thinking of moving to elsewhere in California check out the best places in California overall or the worst.

And remember, there are some good places to live around Anaheim too.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


For more California reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Anaheim Suburbs To Live For 2023

Commerce, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Justefrain | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 12,459
Median Income: $58,226 (10th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.5% (14th highest)
Median Home Value: $455,700 (25th lowest)
More on Commerce:

We’ll get the ball rolling with Commerce, the absolute worst place to live around Anaheim according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, Commerce 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 25th 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 Commerce.

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.

Cudahy, CA

Source: Flickr User [email protected] | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 23,003
Median Income: $47,050 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.6% (7th highest)
Median Home Value: $434,200 (16th lowest)
More on Cudahy:

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 $47,050 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.

Rialto, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 103,799
Median Income: $69,934 (24th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 10.1% (highest)
Median Home Value: $350,000 (6th lowest)
More on Rialto:

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Anaheim suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Rialto 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.

Huntington Park, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Jmiles92 | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 55,439
Median Income: $51,065 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 10.0% (2nd highest)
Median Home Value: $452,300 (23rd lowest)
More on Huntington Park:

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 2nd 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.

Colton, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Bruce Fingerhood from Springfield, Oregon, US | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 53,894
Median Income: $60,874 (14th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.4% (15th highest)
Median Home Value: $325,800 (4th lowest)
More on Colton:

Colton has the distinction of being a Anaheim suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, Colton has the 4th lowest home values in the metro Anaheim area, where the median price is $325,800. The median income is $181,591.

Colton has an unemployment rate of 7.36% which ranks 15th worst.

Montclair, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Westpacificmovement | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 37,871
Median Income: $67,483 (20th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.8% (11th highest)
Median Home Value: $423,300 (14th lowest)
More on Montclair:

Montclair has 37,871 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 17.779793022511466%.

Compton, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Epolk at English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 96,083
Median Income: $62,297 (16th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.2% (8th highest)
Median Home Value: $423,000 (12th lowest)
More on Compton:

Ah, Compton. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Anaheim.

It’s the place with the 8th most out of work residents in the Anaheim metro area (8.23%).

8. Lakeland

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 110,401
Median Income: $52,972 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.0% (4highest)
Median Home Value: $171,700 (3rd lowest)
More on Lakeland:

Lakeland is a city about 26.7 miles from Anaheim, but Anaheim probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a worse place to live. Lakeland has the 19th most uninsured people, 5th worst incomes, and has the 4highest unemployment rate (6.0%) in the entire Anaheim metro area.

Homes only cost $171,700 for a reason. That’s cheap for Anaheim standards.

Lynwood, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 67,497
Median Income: $61,612 (15th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.5% (3rd highest)
Median Home Value: $449,300 (20th lowest)
More on Lynwood:

If you absolutely have to live near Anaheim, then Lynwood might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Anaheim suburb.

About 9.55% of residents are out of work.

Bell, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 33,915
Median Income: $51,183 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.6% (3highest)
Median Home Value: $450,900 (2lowest)
More on Bell:

Rounding out the ten worst Anaheim suburbs to call home is Bell.

Located 25.5 miles outside the city, Bells is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 3highest unemployment rate (6.58%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Anaheim for 2023

To figure out how bad a Anaheim suburb is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what suburbs have the least amount of those things.

It’s Saturday Night Science.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2017-2021, 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, Commerce.

We updated this article for 2023, which reflects our tenth time ranking the worst suburbs around Anaheim.

Summary: The areas around Anaheim where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2023

Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Anaheim with Commerce casting itself ahead of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Anaheim aren’t all bad. San Marino takes the cake as the best place to live around Anaheim.

  • San Marino
  • Newport Beach
  • South Pasadena

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Anaheim Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 Commerce 12,459 $58,226 $455,700
2 Cudahy 23,003 $47,050 $434,200
3 Rialto 103,799 $69,934 $350,000
4 Huntington Park 55,439 $51,065 $452,300
5 Colton 53,894 $60,874 $325,800
6 Montclair 37,871 $67,483 $423,300
7 Compton 96,083 $62,297 $423,000
8 Lakeland 110,401 $52,972 $171,700
9 Lynwood 67,497 $61,612 $449,300
10 Bell 33,915 $51,183 $450,900
11 Bell Gardens 39,870 $50,311 $423,700
12 Jurupa Valley 104,684 $83,430 $416,300
13 South Gate 93,308 $59,647 $470,200
14 Lake Elsinore 68,822 $80,350 $392,200
15 Pomona 151,592 $67,549 $446,300
16 Ontario 175,223 $71,908 $438,300
17 El Monte 110,144 $56,524 $508,200
18 South El Monte 19,860 $60,244 $478,800
19 Maywood 25,477 $54,535 $481,800
20 Riverside 314,858 $76,755 $418,000
21 Stanton 38,167 $68,821 $454,200
22 Hawaiian Gardens 14,178 $66,578 $439,900
23 Azusa 49,457 $74,043 $477,300
24 Paramount 53,904 $60,456 $412,300
25 Baldwin Park 72,813 $72,554 $464,800
26 Fontana 208,087 $83,468 $423,100
27 Montebello 62,828 $66,584 $557,400
28 La Puente 38,447 $73,827 $467,200
29 Grand Terrace 13,079 $76,791 $378,100
30 Bellflower 79,070 $70,236 $535,300
31 Westminster 91,267 $71,108 $651,200
32 Long Beach 466,565 $71,150 $614,900
33 Midway 3,402 $55,947 $164,900
34 Santa Fe Springs 18,817 $75,086 $490,200
35 Santa Ana 313,818 $77,283 $556,300
36 Garden Grove 172,708 $78,046 $601,000
37 Duarte 21,723 $86,903 $575,500
38 Rosemead 51,698 $64,224 $610,000
39 Chino 90,279 $91,107 $503,800
40 Carson 95,104 $92,548 $541,900
41 Pico Rivera 62,383 $78,056 $490,300
42 Temple 5,093 $77,509 $129,100
43 Laguna Woods 17,546 $53,076 $327,000
44 La Habra 63,287 $88,002 $600,400
45 Los Alamitos 11,780 $91,051 $822,100
46 Downey 114,293 $77,972 $608,600
47 Covina 51,061 $81,570 $575,500
48 Monterey Park 61,153 $68,497 $667,300
49 Artesia 16,390 $83,321 $635,000
50 Signal Hill 11,780 $79,309 $551,000
51 Norwalk 103,330 $83,217 $487,800
52 Fullerton 142,964 $92,718 $698,600
53 Upland 78,624 $82,259 $571,600
54 San Gabriel 39,673 $76,918 $768,500
55 West Covina 109,396 $89,834 $602,400
56 Corona 157,844 $95,268 $530,100
57 Monrovia 37,999 $87,077 $723,000
58 Whittier 87,184 $80,306 $630,200
59 Alhambra 83,174 $73,035 $654,000
60 La Verne 31,423 $95,957 $625,000
61 Buena Park 83,974 $90,503 $627,200
62 Costa Mesa 112,148 $96,391 $841,700
63 Tustin 79,895 $93,901 $735,400
64 Glendora 52,458 $103,159 $662,400
65 Orange 139,195 $102,125 $712,500
66 Chino Hills 78,229 $109,285 $677,000
67 San Juan Capistrano 35,319 $111,875 $770,000
68 Seal Beach 25,216 $75,821 $451,900
69 Rancho Cucamonga 173,946 $97,046 $551,700
70 San Dimas 34,775 $101,144 $626,000
71 Norco 26,176 $115,619 $594,800
72 Irvine 297,868 $114,027 $900,700
73 Laguna Hills 31,409 $109,750 $755,200
74 Brea 46,912 $108,721 $727,500
75 Diamond Bar 55,339 $100,776 $702,600
76 Fountain Valley 57,139 $92,765 $816,900
77 Lake Forest 85,516 $117,374 $719,700
78 Placentia 51,951 $103,041 $697,900
79 Claremont 36,312 $111,937 $711,800
80 La Mirada 47,957 $97,672 $629,900
81 Lakewood 82,419 $102,163 $620,100
82 Arcadia 56,697 $99,588 $1,152,200
83 Huntington Beach 198,735 $104,728 $845,500
84 Walnut 28,641 $121,882 $827,700
85 Cypress 50,279 $109,180 $702,000
86 Laguna Niguel 64,608 $125,495 $909,500
87 Cerritos 49,630 $115,600 $764,200
88 Laguna Beach 23,121 $135,976 $2,000,001
89 La Habra Heights 5,651 $181,591 $945,800
90 El Cerrito 25,898 $116,875 $894,600
91 Dana Point 33,327 $111,132 $966,600
92 Eastvale 68,539 $141,827 $615,300
93 La Palma 15,650 $106,473 $733,600
94 Rancho Santa Margarita 48,190 $135,350 $719,800
95 Sierra Madre 11,253 $116,884 $1,048,300
96 Mission Viejo 93,932 $126,320 $772,400
97 Villa Park 5,864 $172,375 $1,287,100
98 San Clemente 64,600 $123,090 $975,300
99 Aliso Viejo 51,943 $122,320 $685,700
100 Yorba Linda 68,319 $137,011 $884,900
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *