60fit
Westwood
$3K median rent
UCLA at the north edge, a village that still walks, and rentals that outnumber the houses. The westside that still has a bus.
Family streetsWalk 36Safety 100
Los Angeles/Sherman Oaks
50fit
Sherman Oaks
Official neighborhood: Sherman Oaks
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · LAPD Oct 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Valley flats, Ventura Boulevard, and a backyard if you pay for it. The family default north of the hills.
ventura boulevardventura blvd
Best in Los Angeles for familiesWalkable Los AngelesUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
67
155 violent · 1342 property · 21.0 per 1k (Oct 2025 – Aug 2026)+17 vs city set
Schools
76
Rating 7.8 / 10 nearby+24 vs city set
Walk
26
OSM: 16 groceries · 10 cafes · 137 transit · 20 parks0 vs city set
Cost
95
$2,321 ACS median vs your rent budget+3 vs city set
Vibe
17
OSM: 10 cafes · 78 restaurants · 2 bars · 20 parks-8 vs city set
Commute to work
From Sherman Oaks, a typical weekday is 74 min to Downtown, 42 min to Westside, 45 min to Hollywood. Not live traffic.
Westside is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
Downtown
74 min
DTLA, Arts District · +37 min vs the city-set median
Westside
42 min
Westwood, Century City · +14 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
Hollywood
45 min
Studios, the Boulevard · +20 min vs the city-set median
Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.
Cost of living
The ACS median rent is $2,321 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 25% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($111K) could “afford” about $2,776 a month at 30% of pay.
61% of households rent. Median home value is $1,313,232.
ACS median rent
$2,321
30% income budget
$2,776
Rent / income
25%
Median home
$1,313,232
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Los Angeles city. Up 62% since 2014. Sherman Oaks is 20% 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. The dashed mark is this area’s ACS 2024 median.
HUD treats 30% of income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed. Method.
Within a walk
Within a short walk of this official neighborhood: 16 groceries, 10 cafes, 20 parks, and 137 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 20 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (137 stops or stations).
10 cafes and 78 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Los Angeles set.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 12 of the other 21 areas in this city.
Population
71,463
Median age
40.6
Median income
$111K
Renters
61%
Bachelor+
64%
Violent / 1k
2.2
Property / 1k
18.8
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 20 census tracts · LAPD Oct 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-09-01
Family streets
Crime is LAPD Part I reports per 1,000 ACS residents — not a judgment of who lives here. Home and rent figures are ACS medians, not live MLS. Read the method.
On the ground
What it is like to live here, beyond the scores.
Sherman Oaks is Valley flats, Ventura Boulevard, and a backyard if you pay for it. The family default north of the hills — schools, a mall, a boulevard of errands, the 405 and the 101 as the walls. It is Los Angeles that admits it is suburban without leaving the city.
You will own a car. The walkable bits are Ventura stretches, not a grid like Palms. Weight family and cost relative to Brentwood. Studio City is the slightly more entertainment-industry twin; the westside is a canyon away on purpose.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, Seattle Times coverage, Boston planning-neighborhood writing, and local writing, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.
Reported here lately
City 311 service requests in this official unit, last 14 days. This is what neighbors filed with the city — not a chat thread, and not part of the fit score.
1,277 reports
- Item Pickups459
- Illegal Dumping Item Pickup245
- Street Pavement Issues164
- Service Not Complete81
- Illegal Auto Repair or Construction, and Leaf Blower Violations
- Illegal Auto Repair or Construction, and Leaf Blower Violations
MyLA311 2026 cases, last 14 days, mapped to Los Angeles Times neighborhoods. Method.
On Reddit
Public posts from r/LosAngeles that mention this neighborhood. Not Nextdoor, not people on this block, and not part of the fit score.
One r/LosAngeles post in this snapshot names Sherman Oaks.
- The Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association didn't spring for a professional Zoom account, so sorry, you can't watch the Mayoral debate if you're just logging in now. Seriously, what i
r/LosAngeles · Aug 20 · 773 upvotes · 117 comments
The line above is a reading of the titles, not a verdict. Up to 3 links, last 90 days, snapshot 2026-09-01. Method.
Common questions
Straight answers from the numbers on this page.
Is Sherman Oaks safe?
Sherman Oaks is middle of the pack for Part I here (safety 67 vs city 50). LAPD logged 2.2 violent and 18.8 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 21.0 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Sherman Oaks?
ACS median rent is $2,321 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 61% of households rent. Median home value is $1,313,232. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Sherman Oaks walkable?
Walk is 26 here vs 26 for the Los Angeles set — you will likely drive or ride for a weekly shop. Inside 800 meters: 16 groceries, 10 cafes, 137 transit stops, 20 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is Sherman Oaks good for families?
The scores lean family relative to this city set. Nearby school rating is 7.8 / 10. Median age is 40.6. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from Sherman Oaks?
74 typical weekday minutes to Downtown. Not the app on your phone this hour. Other job centers are further down this page.
How many people live in Sherman Oaks?
About 71,463 people. Median income $111K. 64% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to Sherman Oaks?
Brentwood, Studio City, Los Feliz sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official neighborhoods, start with Sherman Oaks vs Brentwood.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
Sherman Oaks vs BrentwoodSherman Oaks vs Studio CitySherman Oaks vs Los Feliz
50fit
Brentwood
$3K median rent
San Vicente, school runs, and a median home that assumes you already made it. Quiet westside, on purpose.
Family streetsWalk 17Safety 95
47fit
Sawtelle
$2K median rent
Little Osaka, Sawtelle Boulevard, and the 405 in earshot. Westside food without Brentwood prices.
Walk 32Safety 38
43fit
Los Feliz
$2K median rent
Griffith Park at the north edge, Hillhurst cafes, and a village that still walks after dark. Eastside default for people who want hills and a grocery.
Walk 9Safety 71
41fit
Studio City
$2K median rent
Sound stages, a walkable Ventura strip, and the canyon on the south edge. Valley living that still feels central.
Family streetsWalk 21Safety 29