Los Angeles/Compare
Sawtelle vs Westwood
Sawtelle and Westwood are two official neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Westwood is the calmer Part I map (100 vs 38). Walk is a wash (32 vs 36). Sawtelle has the lower ACS median ($2,444).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · LAPD Oct 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official Los Angeles neighborhoods.
| Axis | Sawtelle | Westwood |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 38 | 100 |
| Schools | 57 | 86 |
| Walk | 32 | 36 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 91 |
| Vibe | 31 | 43 |
| Median rent | $2,444 | $2,746 |
| Median home | $1,185,629 | $1,627,095 |
| Population | 39,428 | 55,668 |
| Commute to Downtown | 49 min | 42 min |
| Commute to Westside | 14 min | 6 min |
| Commute to Hollywood | 25 min | 16 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Sawtelle | Westwood |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 78% | 67% |
| Median age | 34.6 | 32.6 |
| Median income | $104K | $94K |
| Part I per 1k | 25.9 | 9.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 26 | 20 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 123 | 118 |
| Parks / 800m | 16 | 46 |
| 311 last 14 days | 754 | 629 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Los Angeles city. Up 62% since 2014. Sawt is 26% above the 2024 city median. Wwood is 42% above the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Sawtelle if the rent gap is the point. ACS median rent is $2,444 vs $2,746. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Westwood if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 100 vs 38. Schools score 86 vs 57. Vibe is 43 vs 31. Read both pages before you decide.
Sawtelle
Little Osaka, Sawtelle Boulevard, and the 405 in earshot. Westside food without Brentwood prices.
$2,444 median rent · safety 38 · walk 32
Westwood
UCLA at the north edge, a village that still walks, and rentals that outnumber the houses. The westside that still has a bus.
$2,746 median rent · safety 100 · walk 36
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Sawtelle or Westwood?
Sawtelle is the lower ACS median: $2,444 vs $2,746. About 78% rent in Sawtelle vs 67% in Westwood. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Sawtelle more walkable than Westwood?
Walk is basically a tie (32 vs 36). Count groceries if you care: 26 in Sawtelle vs 20 in Westwood, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Sawtelle or Westwood?
Westwood is the calmer Part I read (100 vs 38). Combined rate 9.5 vs 25.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Sawtelle or Westwood?
Westwood leads the school axis (86 vs 57). Nearby rating is 8.2 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 32.6 vs 34.6. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
49 minutes from Sawtelle to Downtown, 42 from Westwood. Westwood is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Sawtelle or Westwood: Mar Vista. Bungalows, a farmers’ market, and the beach ten minutes south. Family westside that is not trying to be Santa Monica.
Scores are relative among official Los Angeles neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.