San Diego/Compare
Mission Valley vs University
Mission Valley and University are two official community planning areas in San Diego. University is the calmer Part I map (32 vs 5). University wins the errand count. University has the lower ACS median ($2,728).
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 | Mission Valley | University |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 5 | 32 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 34 | 100 |
| Cost fit | 88 | 92 |
| Vibe | 24 | 100 |
| Median rent | $2,831 | $2,728 |
| Median home | $631,490 | $1,169,730 |
| Population | 24,121 | 67,653 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 26 min |
| Commute to UTC | 16 min | 6 min |
| Commute to Mission Valley | 6 min | 16 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Mission Valley | University |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 72% | 63% |
| Median age | 33.8 | 31.7 |
| Median income | $98K | $112K |
| Part I per 1k | 88.0 | 23.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 8 | 21 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 177 | 254 |
| Parks / 800m | 121 | 554 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Diego city. Up 70% since 2014. Msn Valley is 22% 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 Mission Valley if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. 14 vs 26 minutes to Downtown. 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 24. Walk is 100 vs 34. Safety is 32 vs 5. Read both pages before you decide.
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
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, Mission Valley or University?
University is the lower ACS median: $2,831 vs $2,728. About 63% rent in University vs 72% in Mission Valley. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Mission Valley more walkable than University?
University wins the errand count (walk 34 vs 100). Groceries inside 800 meters: 8 vs 21. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Mission Valley or University?
University is the calmer Part I read (32 vs 5). Combined rate 23.8 vs 88.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Mission Valley or University?
Mission Valley leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 33.8 vs 31.7. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
14 minutes from Mission Valley to Downtown, 26 from University. Mission Valley is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community planning area that is not Mission Valley or University: 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.