Orange, CA vs Salinas, 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.

Orange

63.3

#1780 nationally

Salinas

63.5

#1766 nationally

Orange leads in crime level (6.2 vs 14.4). Orange leads in median household income ($109,335 vs $84,250). Salinas leads in cost of living index (149 vs 178).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Orange, CA	Salinas, CA
WhereAtHome Score	63.3 (#1780)	63.5 (#1766)
Population	138,337	159,506
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,136,729	$753,868
Median Household Income	$109,335	$84,250
Average Commute	26.5 min	25.9 min
Walk Score	51	55
Crime Level	6.2	14.4
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	178	149
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	D+29.9