The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In Santa Ana For 2022


We used data and science to identify the neighborhoods in Santa Ana that are the real pits.

Santa Ana's neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.

It seems as if there's a neighborhood for everyone in Santa Ana.

And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in Santa Ana. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.

So the question arises, which Santa Ana neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?

Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Santa Ana hoods need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Santa Ana area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Metro Classic ranks way above the rest.

We examined 58 of Santa Ana's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to Santa Ana's reputation.

So what's the worst neighborhood to live in Santa Ana for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Lyon Street looks to be the worst neighborhood in Santa Ana.

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

Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Santa Ana.

For more California reading, check out:

Worst Neighborhoods In Santa Ana

The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In Santa Ana For 2022

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 4,059
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $216,925 (4th worst)
Median Income: $42,105 (9th worst)
More on Lyon Street:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 12,569
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $229,471 (5th worst)
Median Income: $49,834 (16th worst)
More on Santa Anita:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 763
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $229,900 (6th worst)
Median Income: $64,427 (35th worst)
More on Mar-Les:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,857
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $20,000 (worst)
Median Income: $26,935 (worst)
More on Cornerstone Village:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 4,564
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $233,600 (7th worst)
Median Income: $50,267 (18th worst)
More on Bella Vista:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 5,533
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $354,300 (19th worst)
Median Income: $55,482 (24th worst)
More on Delhi:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 1,006
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $269,350 (8th worst)
Median Income: $52,813 (20th worst)
More on Riverglen:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 2,227
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $294,167 (13th worst)
Median Income: $27,603 (2nd worst)
More on French Court:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 2,226
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $291,567 (12th worst)
Median Income: $31,895 (5th worst)
More on French Park:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 13,221
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $344,433 (17th worst)
Median Income: $55,230 (23rd worst)
More on Artesia Pilar:  Data

Methodology: How we determined the worst Santa Ana neighborhoods in 2022

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Santa Ana:

  • High unemployment (Less jobs)
  • Low median income (Less pay)
  • Low population density (No things to do)
  • Low home values (No one's willing to pay to live here)
  • High crime (Estimated)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Santa Ana, California for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a "Worst Score".

The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of Santa Ana.

Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Santa Ana to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 58 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.

Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Santa Ana

Well there you have it -- the worst of the neighborhoods in Santa Ana with Lyon Street landing at the bottom of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Santa Ana aren't all bad. Metro Classic takes the cake as the best place to live in Santa Ana.

We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.

For more California reading, check out:

Where Are The Worst Neighborhoods To Live In Santa Ana For 2022?

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Lyon Street 4,059 $216,925 $42,105
2 Santa Anita 12,569 $229,471 $49,834
3 Mar-Les 763 $229,900 $64,427
4 Cornerstone Village 5,857 $20,000 $26,935
5 Bella Vista 4,564 $233,600 $50,267
6 Delhi 5,533 $354,300 $55,482
7 Riverglen 1,006 $269,350 $52,813
8 French Court 2,227 $294,167 $27,603
9 French Park 2,226 $291,567 $31,895
10 Artesia Pilar 13,221 $344,433 $55,230
11 Saddleback View 1,378 $360,550 $42,338
12 Flower Park 6,168 $172,900 $27,606
13 Northwest 1,590 $269,350 $52,813
14 Lacy 5,566 $204,433 $37,852
15 Central City 7,581 $351,850 $59,212
16 Logan 1,240 $331,100 $32,332
17 Heninger Park 7,168 $274,433 $41,084
18 Pico-Lowell 11,682 $370,917 $49,987
19 Meredith Parkwood 2,453 $465,800 $61,719
20 Santa Ana Triangle 2,151 $319,100 $29,622
21 Riverview 3,744 $397,100 $68,980
22 Mabury Park 2,645 $379,025 $64,012
23 Cedar Evergreen 1,381 $417,200 $44,063
24 Centennial Park 3,391 $402,500 $66,548
25 Riverview West 36,625 $308,228 $54,864
26 Fairhaven 3,149 $516,300 $70,752
27 Fairbridge Square 332 $368,200 $67,262
28 Valley Adams 3,511 $409,200 $67,390
29 Park Santiago 4,223 $455,700 $65,887
30 Eastside 11,989 $272,867 $45,094
31 Wilshire Square 3,763 $368,950 $62,938
32 Concord 568 $432,900 $95,446
33 New Horizons 5,691 $384,150 $57,424
34 Bristol Memory 843 $526,850 $46,016
35 Edna Park 555 $408,200 $61,806
36 Madison Park 8,360 $372,720 $66,774
37 Grand Sunrise 606 $422,400 $53,906
38 Portola Park 1,484 $471,250 $78,969
39 Sandpointe 4,625 $451,700 $64,203
40 Memorial Park 11,887 $361,780 $67,694
41 Windsor Village 2,559 $378,700 $90,750
42 Republic Homes 685 $474,100 $62,589
43 Mid-City 8,886 $369,700 $61,060
44 West Floral Park 2,797 $509,650 $77,013
45 Morrison-Eldridge Par 2,072 $526,850 $46,016
46 Casa De Santiago 470 $603,200 $129,615
47 Sunwood Central 6,292 $459,633 $61,889
48 South Coast 2,687 $355,900 $69,126
49 Laurelhurst 1,810 $430,900 $82,679
50 Washington Square 3,389 $484,333 $46,199
51 Bristol-Warner 2,905 $365,200 $92,045
52 Shadow Run 2,016 $423,100 $66,731
53 Thornton Park 3,352 $429,700 $80,580
54 Fisher Park 693 $603,200 $129,615
55 Floral Park 1,619 $521,433 $71,608
56 West Grove Valley 1,393 $429,300 $83,646
57 Morning Sunwood 2,639 $509,700 $101,591
58 Metro Classic 1,646 $525,500 $97,727

Editor's Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don't freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Santa Ana.
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.