Arcata, CA vs South El Monte, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Arcata

65.5

#1626 nationally

South El Monte

62.5

#1853 nationally

South El Monte leads in median household income ($67,724 vs $43,444). Arcata leads in average commute (18.4 min vs 27.7 min). South El Monte leads in walk score (61 vs 48).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Arcata, CA	South El Monte, CA
WhereAtHome Score	65.5 (#1626)	62.5 (#1853)
Population	19,012	19,032
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$480,134	$759,990
Median Household Income	$43,444	$67,724
Average Commute	18.4 min	27.7 min
Walk Score	48	61
Crime Level	13.9	12.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	133	148
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+28.4	D+32.9