San Diego/Compare
Clairemont vs University
Clairemont and University are two official community planning areas in San Diego. Clairemont is the calmer Part I map (79 vs 32). University 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 | University |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 79 | 32 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 28 | 100 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 92 |
| Vibe | 14 | 100 |
| Median rent | $2,312 | $2,728 |
| Median home | $1,028,673 | $1,169,730 |
| Population | 78,255 | 67,653 |
| Commute to Downtown | 20 min | 26 min |
| Commute to UTC | 14 min | 6 min |
| Commute to Mission Valley | 12 min | 16 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Clairemont | University |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 42% | 63% |
| Median age | 41.1 | 31.7 |
| Median income | $113K | $112K |
| Part I per 1k | 14.6 | 23.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 25 | 21 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 139 | 254 |
| Parks / 800m | 49 | 554 |
| 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. UTC is 18% 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 32. ACS median rent is $2,312 vs $2,728. Clairemont is tagged family on this map; University is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick University if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 100 vs 14. Walk is 100 vs 28. 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
University
UTC and University City are the searches. UCSD sits in this plan, not in the coast village. The official name is University. Median age is 31.7, so this is not a dorm census. Bachelor's share is 76% and rent is $2,728. Cafes are 51 and bars are 3. Property Part I is 22.3 per 1,000 — the malls and the offices write a lot of that. The park count is canyon and campus pieces, not a shop on every block. Violent is 1.5.
$2,728 median rent · safety 32 · walk 100
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Clairemont or University?
Clairemont is the lower ACS median: $2,312 vs $2,728. About 42% rent in Clairemont vs 63% in University. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Clairemont more walkable than University?
University wins the errand count (walk 28 vs 100). Groceries inside 800 meters: 25 vs 21. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Clairemont or University?
Clairemont is the calmer Part I read (79 vs 32). Combined rate 14.6 vs 23.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Clairemont or University?
Clairemont leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 41.1 vs 31.7. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
20 minutes from Clairemont to Downtown, 26 from University. Clairemont is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community planning area that is not Clairemont or University: 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.
Scores are relative among official San Diego community planning areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.