San Diego/Compare
La Jolla vs Mission Valley
La Jolla and Mission Valley are two official community planning areas in San Diego. La Jolla is the calmer Part I map (58 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 | La Jolla | Mission Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 58 | 5 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 13 | 34 |
| Cost fit | 83 | 88 |
| Vibe | 15 | 24 |
| Median rent | $3,029 | $2,831 |
| Median home | $1,908,428 | $631,490 |
| Population | 24,818 | 24,121 |
| Commute to Downtown | 28 min | 14 min |
| Commute to UTC | 12 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 | La Jolla | Mission Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 29% | 72% |
| Median age | 52.2 | 33.8 |
| Median income | $179K | $98K |
| Part I per 1k | 18.5 | 88.0 |
| Groceries / 800m | 8 | 8 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 38 | 177 |
| Parks / 800m | 65 | 121 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Diego city. Up 70% since 2014. La Jolla is 31% 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 La Jolla if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Safety is 58 vs 5. La Jolla is tagged family on this map; Mission Valley is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Mission Valley if you want the errands on foot and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. Walk is 34 vs 13. 14 vs 28 minutes to Downtown. Vibe is 24 vs 15. Read both pages before you decide.
La Jolla
Prospect and the coves. Oldest median age in this set, 52.2, and only 29% of households rent. The home median is $1,908,428. Violent Part I is 1.6 per 1,000. Property is 16.9, which is the shops as much as the side streets. The inland campus is a different plan.
$3,029 median rent · safety 58 · 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, La Jolla or Mission Valley?
Mission Valley is the lower ACS median: $3,029 vs $2,831. About 72% rent in Mission Valley vs 29% in La Jolla. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is La Jolla 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, La Jolla or Mission Valley?
La Jolla is the calmer Part I read (58 vs 5). Combined rate 18.5 vs 88.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, La Jolla or Mission Valley?
La Jolla leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 52.2 vs 33.8. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
28 minutes from La Jolla 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 La Jolla 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.