San Diego/Compare
Clairemont vs Mission Valley
Clairemont and Mission Valley are two official community planning areas in San Diego. Clairemont is the calmer Part I map (79 vs 5). Mission Valley wins the errand count. Clairemont has the lower ACS median ($2,312).
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 | Clairemont | Mission Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 79 | 5 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 28 | 34 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 88 |
| Vibe | 14 | 24 |
| Median rent | $2,312 | $2,831 |
| Median home | $1,028,673 | $631,490 |
| Population | 78,255 | 24,121 |
| Commute to Downtown | 20 min | 14 min |
| Commute to UTC | 14 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Mission Valley | 12 min | 6 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Clairemont | Mission Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 42% | 72% |
| Median age | 41.1 | 33.8 |
| Median income | $113K | $98K |
| Part I per 1k | 14.6 | 88.0 |
| Groceries / 800m | 25 | 8 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 139 | 177 |
| Parks / 800m | 49 | 121 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Diego city. Up 70% since 2014. Clairemont is 0% 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 Clairemont if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 79 vs 5. ACS median rent is $2,312 vs $2,831. Clairemont is tagged family on this map; Mission Valley is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Mission Valley if you want the cafes and the night and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. Vibe is 24 vs 14. 14 vs 20 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
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
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, Clairemont or Mission Valley?
Clairemont is the lower ACS median: $2,312 vs $2,831. About 42% rent in Clairemont vs 72% in Mission Valley. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Clairemont more walkable than Mission Valley?
Mission Valley wins the errand count (walk 28 vs 34). Groceries inside 800 meters: 25 vs 8. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Clairemont or Mission Valley?
Clairemont is the calmer Part I read (79 vs 5). Combined rate 14.6 vs 88.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Clairemont or Mission Valley?
Clairemont leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 41.1 vs 33.8. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
20 minutes from Clairemont 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 Clairemont or Mission Valley: Linda Vista. USD is a search on the west side of this plan. The official name is Linda Vista. Home median is $717,082. Property Part I is 25.7 per 1,000, high for a plan that is mostly houses — the commercial edge is inside the same line. Violent is 4.5.
Scores are relative among official San Diego community planning areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.