San Diego/Compare
Carmel Valley vs Mission Valley
Carmel Valley and Mission Valley are two official community planning areas in San Diego. Carmel Valley is the calmer Part I map (100 vs 5). Mission Valley wins the errand count. Mission Valley has the lower ACS median ($2,831).
Data period. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · SDPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Oct 2026. ACS and SDPD retrieved 2026-10-14; OSM retrieved 2026-10-14. Editorial copy last revised Sep 2026.
Scores
Fit axes among official San Diego community planning areas.
| Axis | Carmel Valley | Mission Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 100 | 5 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 13 | 34 |
| Cost fit | 74 | 88 |
| Vibe | 19 | 24 |
| Median rent | $3,374 | $2,831 |
| Median home | $1,556,207 | $631,490 |
| Population | 31,288 | 24,121 |
| Commute to Downtown | 32 min | 14 min |
| Commute to UTC | 10 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Mission Valley | 22 min | 6 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Carmel Valley | Mission Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 39% | 72% |
| Median age | 40.2 | 33.8 |
| Median income | $200K | $98K |
| Part I per 1k | 6.1 | 88.0 |
| Groceries / 800m | 8 | 8 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 4 | 177 |
| Parks / 800m | 104 | 121 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Diego city. Up 70% since 2014. Carmel V. is 46% above the 2024 city median. Msn Valley is 22% 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 Carmel Valley if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Safety is 100 vs 5. Carmel Valley is tagged family on this map; Mission Valley is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Mission Valley if the rent gap is the point and you want the errands on foot. ACS median rent is $2,831 vs $3,374. Walk is 34 vs 13. 14 vs 32 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Carmel Valley
Highest income in this set, $199,791, and the highest rent, $3,374. Violent Part I is 0.4 per 1,000, the lowest here. Property is 5.7, also the lowest. Bachelor's share is 83%. OSM transit stops in or near the plan: 4. Houses and a drive. This is not the coast village.
$3,374 median rent · safety 100 · walk 13
Mission Valley
Fashion Valley and the stadium are searches inside Mission Valley. Rent is $2,831 and the home median is $631,490 — more condo than house. Property Part I is 77.0 per 1,000, second only to the beach spit, because the malls and the hotels are in the count. Violent is 11.0. Not a score for every new building.
$2,831 median rent · safety 5 · walk 34
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Carmel Valley or Mission Valley?
Mission Valley is the lower ACS median: $3,374 vs $2,831. About 72% rent in Mission Valley vs 39% in Carmel Valley. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Carmel Valley more walkable than Mission Valley?
Mission Valley wins the errand count (walk 13 vs 34). Groceries inside 800 meters: 8 vs 8. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Carmel Valley or Mission Valley?
Carmel Valley is the calmer Part I read (100 vs 5). Combined rate 6.1 vs 88.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Carmel Valley or Mission Valley?
Carmel Valley leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 40.2 vs 33.8. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
32 minutes from Carmel Valley to Downtown, 14 from Mission Valley. Mission Valley is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community planning area that is not Carmel Valley or Mission Valley: Clairemont. The official plan is Clairemont Mesa. 78,255 people, houses and canyons, 42% renters. Rent is $2,312. Violent Part I is 2.1 per 1,000. It is a drive to the water and a shorter hop to the valley offices.
Scores are relative among official San Diego community planning areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.