CitytisticsShortlist

Lake Morton-Berrydale, WA vs Valley Center, CA

Lake Morton-Berrydale

Washington

vs

Valley Center

California

Across 35 directional measures we can compare, Lake Morton-Berrydale leads on 25 and Valley Center on 10. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 15% higher in Lake Morton-Berrydale, while median household income is higher in Valley Center.

Median gross rent
$2,017$1,750
Lake Morton-Berrydale is 15% higher
Median household income
$129,833$132,361
Lake Morton-Berrydale is 2% lower
Median home value
$714,200$883,700
Lake Morton-Berrydale is 19% lower

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $102,700 a year left in Lake Morton-Berrydale and $113,500 in Valley Center. Money goes further in Valley Center, by about $10,900 a year.
  • A household earning Lake Morton-Berrydale's median of $129,833 would need about $121,500 in Valley Center to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 0.7 points a year in Lake Morton-Berrydale, and rent outran pay by 2.6 points a year in Valley Center.

How these are calculated

CaliforniaWashingtonValley Center, CALake Morton-Berrydale, WALake Morton-BerrydaleValley CenterLake Morton-BerrydaleValley Center

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Valley Center, CAComposite 49.0 / 100
48
478163n/a330n/a
02Lake Morton-Berrydale, WAComposite 45.1 / 100
37
428255n/a322n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureLake Morton-BerrydaleValley CenterAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$2,017$1,750
Rent to income118.6%15.9%
Property tax rate11.0%0.8%
Home price to income15.5x6.7x
Prices vs US average2111.1111.9
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$2,549$2,823
HUD area median income4n/a$130,900
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$6,923$7,249
Median home value1$714,200$883,700
Home prices, 1-year change50.9%0.7%
Home prices, 5-year change536.5%53.6%
Homeownership188.6%92.6%
Renters paying 30%+137.0%57.8%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,910$3,812
Vacant homes16.2%11.5%
Median year built119841988
Jobs and income
Median household income1$129,833$132,361
Income per person1$54,390$52,880
Unemployment13.6%3.7%
Average annual pay6$136,848$85,402
Pay growth, 1 year63.5%3.1%
Jobs61,436,4841,535,067
Poverty rate18.6%6.7%
Mean commute138 min38 min
Works from home118.3%18.1%
Commutes by transit16.8%0.0%
People
Population111,18311,119
Median age141.942.1
Bachelor's or higher134.6%38.4%
High school or higher193.2%87.3%
Household size13.03.2
Born abroad117.0%22.1%
No health insurance11.4%7.6%
Homes with broadband197.2%95.2%
Moving
Moved here in the past year13.5%5.0%
Moved from another state13.5%2.2%
Net movers per 1,000 people7-7.9-6.5
Income of households moving in7$102,956$89,591
Income of households moving out7$132,967$86,167
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k827.923.6
Shops per 10k825.828.0
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k85.95.1
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k825.026.6
Child care centers per 10k84.32.7
Parks per 10k917.915.3
Playgrounds per 10k916.15.4
Grocery stores per 10k90.00.9
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.91.8
Libraries per 10k90.01.8
Named paths and bike trails90.00.0
Transit stops per sq mi90.20.0
Nearest National Park Service site1037.340.8
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1021
National Register listings11324161
Schools
Public schools125339
Public school students12277,9993,551
Students per teacher1218.432.9
Climate
July average high1372°F91°F
January average low1332°F41°F
Average temperature1348°F63°F
Annual precipitation1375.4 in13.0 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1499.799.7
Hurricane risk14n/a8.3
Tornado risk1473.264.4
Wildfire risk1479.5100.0
Heat wave risk1498.298.8
Median air quality index154367
Good air days1567.1%17.5%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Lake Morton-Berrydale $80,680, Valley Center $70,000 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

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