Salinas, CA vs Santa Ana, 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.

Salinas

63.5

#1766 nationally

Santa Ana

63.6

#1759 nationally

Salinas leads in median household income ($84,250 vs $72,458). Santa Ana leads in cost of living index (138 vs 149). Salinas leads in average commute (25.9 min vs 26.8 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Salinas, CA	Santa Ana, CA
WhereAtHome Score	63.5 (#1766)	63.6 (#1759)
Population	159,506	310,227
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$753,868	$869,263
Median Household Income	$84,250	$72,458
Average Commute	25.9 min	26.8 min
Walk Score	55	55
Crime Level	14.4	Moderate
School Rating	N/A	5.4
Cost of Living Index	149	138
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+29.9	D+2.6