San Diego/Compare
City Heights vs Clairemont
City Heights and Clairemont are two official community planning areas in San Diego. City Heights is the calmer Part I map (84 vs 79). Clairemont wins the errand count. City Heights has the lower ACS median ($1,773).
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 | City Heights | Clairemont |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 84 | 79 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 20 | 28 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 6 | 14 |
| Median rent | $1,773 | $2,312 |
| Median home | $640,711 | $1,028,673 |
| Population | 76,398 | 78,255 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 20 min |
| Commute to UTC | 22 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Mission Valley | 12 min | 12 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | City Heights | Clairemont |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 73% | 42% |
| Median age | 33.8 | 41.1 |
| Median income | $65K | $113K |
| Part I per 1k | 14.3 | 14.6 |
| Groceries / 800m | 20 | 25 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 121 | 139 |
| Parks / 800m | 26 | 49 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Diego city. Up 70% since 2014. City Hts is 23% below the 2024 city median. Clairemont is 0% 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 City Heights if the rent gap is the point and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. ACS median rent is $1,773 vs $2,312. 14 vs 20 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Clairemont if you want the quieter, family-leaning read and you want the errands on foot. Clairemont is tagged family on this map; City Heights is not. Walk is 28 vs 20. Vibe is 14 vs 6. Read both pages before you decide.
City Heights
The official plan is Mid-City: City Heights. 76,398 people, the largest central plan in this set. Income is $65,086 and rent is $1,773. Bachelor's share is 23%, the lowest here. Violent Part I is 5.9 per 1,000 and property is 8.4 — a rate for a wide plan, not a verdict on one block.
$1,773 median rent · safety 84 · walk 20
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.
$2,312 median rent · safety 79 · walk 28
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, City Heights or Clairemont?
City Heights is the lower ACS median: $1,773 vs $2,312. About 73% rent in City Heights vs 42% in Clairemont. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is City Heights more walkable than Clairemont?
Clairemont wins the errand count (walk 20 vs 28). Groceries inside 800 meters: 20 vs 25. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, City Heights or Clairemont?
City Heights is the calmer Part I read (84 vs 79). Combined rate 14.3 vs 14.6 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, City Heights or Clairemont?
City Heights leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 33.8 vs 41.1. Clairemont has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
14 minutes from City Heights to Downtown, 20 from Clairemont. City Heights is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community planning area that is not City Heights or Clairemont: Normal Heights. Adams Avenue is the search. The official plan is Mid-City: Normal Heights. Rent is $1,888, one of the lower central medians, and the home median is $778,085. Violent Part I is 4.6 per 1,000. A small grid, not a campus.
Scores are relative among official San Diego community planning areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.