CitytisticsShortlist

Spring Valley Lake, CA vs Washington Heights, NY

Spring Valley Lake

California

vs

Washington Heights

New York

Across 35 directional measures we can compare, Spring Valley Lake leads on 19 and Washington Heights on 16. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 9% higher in Washington Heights, while median household income is higher in Spring Valley Lake.

Median gross rent
$2,350$2,554
Spring Valley Lake is 8% lower
Median household income
$82,625$81,686
Spring Valley Lake is 1% higher
Median home value
$463,000$366,700
Spring Valley Lake is 26% higher

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $53,500 a year left in Spring Valley Lake and $47,200 in Washington Heights. Money goes further in Spring Valley Lake, by about $6,300 a year.
  • A household earning Spring Valley Lake's median of $82,625 would need about $88,500 in Washington Heights to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 7.0 points a year in Spring Valley Lake, and rent outran pay by 15.6 points a year in Washington Heights.

How these are calculated

CaliforniaNew YorkWashington Heights, NYSpring Valley Lake, CASpring Valley LakeWashington HeightsSpring Valley LakeWashington Heights

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

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Spring Valley Lake, CAComposite 28.6 / 100
6
95145n/a729n/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.

MeasureSpring Valley LakeWashington HeightsAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$2,350$2,554
Rent to income134.1%37.5%
Property tax rate10.7%1.8%
Home price to income15.6x4.5x
Prices vs US average2106.4109.4
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$2,103$2,131
HUD area median income4$106,500$125,900
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$3,404$6,425
Median home value1$463,000$366,700
Home prices, 1-year change51.2%6.2%
Home prices, 5-year change552.2%62.0%
Homeownership173.8%71.7%
Renters paying 30%+158.5%57.2%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,006$2,518
Vacant homes18.4%7.4%
Median year built119871973
Jobs and income
Median household income1$82,625$81,686
Income per person1$39,965$33,510
Unemployment15.0%5.5%
Average annual pay6$63,749$63,867
Pay growth, 1 year62.2%2.0%
Jobs6848,961154,905
Poverty rate17.3%12.6%
Mean commute135 min34 min
Works from home113.1%12.8%
Commutes by transit10.0%4.7%
People
Population19,4832,383
Median age135.734.6
Bachelor's or higher129.4%32.9%
High school or higher195.0%88.0%
Household size12.93.5
Born abroad111.4%25.9%
No health insurance18.0%15.4%
Homes with broadband199.0%94.5%
Moving
Moved here in the past year14.4%4.8%
Moved from another state11.1%1.4%
Net movers per 1,000 people7-2.0-3.5
Income of households moving in7$60,585$73,111
Income of households moving out7$62,895$76,244
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k818.024.4
Shops per 10k824.439.7
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k82.64.3
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k818.516.4
Child care centers per 10k81.22.8
Parks per 10k96.316.8
Playgrounds per 10k96.38.4
Grocery stores per 10k90.00.0
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.042.0
Libraries per 10k90.08.4
Named paths and bike trails96.50.2
Transit stops per sq mi90.70.0
Nearest National Park Service site1080.9n/a
National Park Service sites within 60 miles100n/a
National Register listings11113190
Schools
Public schools1257782
Public school students12393,08757,122
Students per teacher1222.311.4
Climate
July average high13101°F83°F
January average low1339°F18°F
Average temperature1367°F50°F
Annual precipitation136.6 in46.6 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1499.890.6
Hurricane risk140.090.8
Tornado risk1478.881.9
Wildfire risk1499.951.2
Heat wave risk1498.487.3
Median air quality index157727
Good air days1512.6%86.9%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Spring Valley Lake $94,000, Washington Heights $102,160 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.

Keep comparing

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