The 10 Worst Pasadena Suburbs


The worst Pasadena suburbs are Huntington Park and Cudahy based on Saturday Night Science. Find out where your town ranks.

More and more people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Pasadena to avoid all the hustle and bustle.

So the question arises: what suburbs of Pasadena are the worst?

Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Pasadena ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Pasadena area if you will. Realistically, you can only expect some of the suburbs to live up to Pasadena proper, although Manhattan Beach certainly tries.

We examined the 89 biggest suburbs of Pasadena 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 Pasadena in terms of quality of life.


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


Now don’t freak out.

What’s the worst suburb of Pasadena? Huntington Park ranks as the worst suburb of Pasadena for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.

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 Pasadena too.

The 10 Worst Pasadena Suburbs To Live For 2024

Huntington Park, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Jmiles92 | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 54,547
Median Income: $54,073 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 10.1% (highest)
Median Home Value: $613,597 (7th lowest)
More on Huntington Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

We’ll get the ball rolling with Huntington Park, the absolute worst place to live around Pasadena according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, Huntington Park beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 3rd worst in the Pasadena area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 7th 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 Huntington Park.

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: 22,657
Median Income: $49,596 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.2% (3rd highest)
Median Home Value: $624,322 (10th lowest)
More on Cudahy: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Welcome to Cudahy. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 13.8 miles to Pasadena. Income levels here are the lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $49,596 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.

Compton, CA

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

5
/10

Population: 94,822
Median Income: $69,728 (13th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.9% (12th highest)
Median Home Value: $584,418 (4th lowest)
More on Compton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

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

But at least there are lovely parks to bring the kids during the day.

Lynwood, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 66,346
Median Income: $67,350 (10th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.6% (2nd highest)
Median Home Value: $624,911 (11th lowest)
More on Lynwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

If you live in Lynwood, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 10th lowest Pasadena 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 Pasadena. Remember, we looked at 89 cities for this study.

Lynwood is about 16.7 miles to downtown.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 19,694
Median Income: $67,724 (12th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.7% (28th highest)
Median Home Value: $697,787 (23rd lowest)
More on South El Monte: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

South El Monte has the distinction of being a Pasadena suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, South El Monte has the 23rd lowest home values in the metro Pasadena area, where the median price is $697,787. The median income is $250,001.

South El Monte has an unemployment rate of 6.74% which ranks 28th worst.

Palmdale, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 166,895
Median Income: $78,414 (3lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.4% (17th highest)
Median Home Value: $486,827 (2nd lowest)
More on Palmdale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Palmdale has 166,895 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 14.104734308829466%.

Bell, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 33,377
Median Income: $56,685 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.5% (32nd highest)
Median Home Value: $634,376 (13th lowest)
More on Bell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Ah, Bell. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Pasadena.

It’s the place with the 32nd most out of work residents in the Pasadena metro area (6.53%).

South Gate, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 92,381
Median Income: $67,188 (8th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.9% (13th highest)
Median Home Value: $635,980 (14th lowest)
More on South Gate: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

South Gate is a city about 15.3 miles from Pasadena, but Pasadena 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. South Gate has the 8th most uninsured people, 8th worst incomes, and has the 13th highest unemployment rate (7.89%) in the entire Pasadena metro area.

Homes only cost $635,980 for a reason. That’s cheap for Pasadena standards.

Bell Gardens, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 39,263
Median Income: $53,935 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.7% (45th highest)
Median Home Value: $632,331 (12th lowest)
More on Bell Gardens: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

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

About 5.75% of residents are out of work.

Pomona, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 149,831
Median Income: $73,515 (2lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.5% (33rd highest)
Median Home Value: $619,187 (9th lowest)
More on Pomona: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Rounding out the ten worst Pasadena suburbs to call home is Pomona.

Located 22.8 miles outside the city, Pomonas is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 33rd highest unemployment rate (6.52%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Pasadena for 2024

To figure out how bad a Pasadena 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 2018-2022, 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 Pasadena.

We also limited the analysis to places with over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 89 suburbs to evaluate around Pasadena.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 89 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 Pasadena.” We’re looking at you, Huntington Park.

We updated this article for 2024, which reflects our tenth time ranking the worst suburbs around Pasadena.

Summary: The areas around Pasadena where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2024

Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Pasadena with Huntington Park casting itself ahead of the pack.

The worst suburbs of Pasadena are .

As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Pasadena aren’t all bad. Manhattan Beach takes the cake as the best place to live around Pasadena.

  • Manhattan Beach
  • Hermosa Beach
  • Redondo Beach

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Pasadena Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 Huntington Park 54,547 $54,073 $613,597
2 Cudahy 22,657 $49,596 $624,322
3 Compton 94,822 $69,728 $584,418
4 Lynwood 66,346 $67,350 $624,911
5 South El Monte 19,694 $67,724 $697,787
6 Palmdale 166,895 $78,414 $486,827
7 Bell 33,377 $56,685 $634,376
8 South Gate 92,381 $67,188 $635,980
9 Bell Gardens 39,263 $53,935 $632,331
10 Pomona 149,831 $73,515 $619,187
11 Montclair 37,842 $72,789 $614,701
12 El Monte 108,682 $59,929 $705,480
13 Commerce 12,253 $66,071 $636,672
14 Maywood 25,009 $57,615 $603,697
15 Inglewood 106,806 $67,563 $724,865
16 San Fernando 23,958 $70,950 $685,472
17 Montebello 62,056 $72,317 $752,515
18 Paramount 53,255 $67,197 $599,020
19 Baldwin Park 71,692 $76,002 $653,339
20 Bellflower 78,352 $75,379 $736,258
21 Azusa 49,704 $81,516 $657,103
22 Los Angeles 3,881,041 $76,244 $926,593
23 Hawthorne 86,978 $72,298 $845,860
24 Hawaiian Gardens 14,011 $73,510 $571,342
25 Stanton 38,271 $76,123 $701,971
26 Lawndale 31,553 $76,213 $744,065
27 La Puente 37,835 $77,702 $655,653
28 Long Beach 462,293 $78,995 $799,165
29 Westminster 90,638 $80,271 $952,142
30 Glendale 194,512 $81,219 $1,134,103
31 Artesia 16,237 $92,702 $765,251
32 Pico Rivera 61,561 $82,539 $694,218
33 Temple 5,395 $71,917 $278,708
34 Carson 94,475 $103,045 $750,385
35 Santa Fe Springs 18,840 $81,500 $711,899
36 La Habra 62,904 $93,801 $802,058
37 Garden Grove 171,637 $86,139 $867,160
38 Rosemead 51,043 $70,073 $827,126
39 Duarte 21,686 $93,908 $736,339
40 Gardena 60,377 $75,443 $752,319
41 Norwalk 101,893 $91,259 $694,399
42 San Gabriel 39,211 $84,056 $1,017,443
43 Fullerton 142,280 $99,279 $936,138
44 Monterey Park 60,386 $76,892 $879,700
45 West Covina 108,173 $96,219 $785,843
46 Downey 113,052 $84,236 $809,809
47 Covina 50,717 $89,650 $739,542
48 Monrovia 37,656 $93,827 $933,244
49 Los Alamitos 11,728 $100,987 $1,427,481
50 Whittier 86,459 $89,686 $756,497
51 Upland 78,847 $93,994 $773,135
52 Signal Hill 11,678 $96,385 $695,986
53 Alhambra 82,295 $80,234 $883,188
54 San Dimas 34,466 $102,241 $863,283
55 Buena Park 83,542 $101,586 $834,048
56 Burbank 106,389 $91,455 $1,128,292
57 Santa Clarita 225,850 $116,186 $773,299
58 Chino Hills 78,223 $117,548 $913,774
59 Glendora 52,095 $106,718 $836,144
60 Lomita 20,662 $87,717 $879,224
61 La Verne 31,239 $103,816 $888,737
62 West Hollywood 35,358 $89,034 $1,048,481
63 Beverly Hills 32,406 $116,771 $3,641,358
64 Seal Beach 25,046 $75,507 $900,528
65 Placentia 51,797 $106,155 $973,725
66 Diamond Bar 54,534 $106,881 $934,630
67 Lakewood 81,499 $113,030 $814,339
68 Santa Monica 92,168 $106,797 $1,685,607
69 La Mirada 47,644 $104,130 $822,102
70 Claremont 36,891 $115,091 $926,202
71 Cypress 49,955 $117,461 $964,692
72 Arcadia 56,181 $108,214 $1,326,864
73 Brea 47,099 $120,226 $1,019,390
74 Rolling Hills Estates 8,214 $179,917 $1,986,586
75 Walnut 28,212 $130,444 $1,093,688
76 Torrance 145,454 $109,554 $1,140,607
77 Cerritos 49,016 $124,460 $1,003,485
78 Hidden Hills 2,107 $250,001 $5,035,856
79 La Palma 15,522 $113,398 $1,059,180
80 San Marino 12,442 $174,253 $2,524,471
81 Sierra Madre 11,151 $128,056 $1,347,845
82 El Segundo 17,081 $142,596 $1,606,335
83 Yorba Linda 68,035 $148,325 $1,245,181
84 La Habra Heights 5,599 $179,990 $1,294,550
85 South Pasadena 26,583 $127,882 $1,650,214
86 Palos Verdes Estates 13,219 $224,766 $2,717,769
87 Redondo Beach 70,620 $134,033 $1,379,761
88 Hermosa Beach 19,551 $149,500 $2,169,343
89 Manhattan Beach 35,123 $187,217 $2,990,671
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.

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