While big cities like Ontario offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Ontario. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Ontario without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Ontario are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Ontario area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Ontario for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Ontario? Mission Viejo ranks as the best suburb of Ontario for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Mission Viejo, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Ontario ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about California:
The 10 Best Ontario Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 93,233
Median Income: $136,570
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 4.9%
More on Mission Viejo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Mission Viejo is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Ontario area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Mission Viejo.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $136,570 a year, which is the 7th highest in the Ontario region. And only 4.41% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,077,063 each.
/10
Population: 5,814
Median Income: $189,306
Unemployment Rate: 1.3%
Poverty Rate: 7.2%
More on Villa Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Villa Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Ontario for 2024.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 1.24% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
/10
Population: 11,151
Median Income: $128,056
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 6.1%
More on Sierra Madre: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Sierra Madre, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Ontario metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Sierra Madre.
/10
Population: 5,599
Median Income: $179,990
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 4.1%
More on La Habra Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
La Habra Heights ranks as the 4th best suburb of Ontario for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in La Habra Heights and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 68,035
Median Income: $148,325
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Yorba Linda: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Yorba Linda.
Yorba Linda gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Ontario area, where houses sell for an average of $1,245,181. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 47,702
Median Income: $150,146
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 3.9%
More on Rancho Santa Margarita: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Rancho Santa Margarita is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.29%.
According to online reports, Rancho Santa Margarita is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Ontario area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 15,522
Median Income: $113,398
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 6.2%
More on La Palma: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to La Palma.
La Palma schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 28.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 49,016
Median Income: $124,460
Unemployment Rate: 5.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Cerritos: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Cerritos is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 3.38% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
/10
Population: 69,594
Median Income: $151,615
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.3%
More on Eastvale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Eastvale?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 12,442
Median Income: $174,253
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 9.0%
More on San Marino: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is San Marino.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Ontario for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Ontario was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Ontario.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 75 suburbs to evaluate around Ontario.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 75 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Ontario.” We’re lookin’ at you, Mission Viejo.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Ontario suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Ontario ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Ontario are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Ontario but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more California reading, check out:
Table: Best Ontario Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mission Viejo, CA | 93,233 | $136,570 | $1,077,063 |
| 2 | Villa Park, CA | 5,814 | $189,306 | $2,030,498 |
| 3 | Sierra Madre, CA | 11,151 | $128,056 | $1,347,845 |
| 4 | La Habra Heights, CA | 5,599 | $179,990 | $1,294,550 |
| 5 | Yorba Linda, CA | 68,035 | $148,325 | $1,245,181 |
| 6 | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | 47,702 | $150,146 | $938,523 |
| 7 | La Palma, CA | 15,522 | $113,398 | $1,059,180 |
| 8 | Cerritos, CA | 49,016 | $124,460 | $1,003,485 |
| 9 | Eastvale, CA | 69,594 | $151,615 | $884,749 |
| 10 | San Marino, CA | 12,442 | $174,253 | $2,524,471 |
| 11 | El Cerrito, CA | 25,869 | $120,414 | $1,162,177 |
| 12 | Walnut, CA | 28,212 | $130,444 | $1,093,688 |
| 13 | Lake Forest, CA | 85,583 | $128,358 | $1,056,345 |
| 14 | Cypress, CA | 49,955 | $117,461 | $964,692 |
| 15 | La Mirada, CA | 47,644 | $104,130 | $822,102 |
| 16 | Arcadia, CA | 56,181 | $108,214 | $1,326,864 |
| 17 | Brea, CA | 47,099 | $120,226 | $1,019,390 |
| 18 | Claremont, CA | 36,891 | $115,091 | $926,202 |
| 19 | Placentia, CA | 51,797 | $106,155 | $973,725 |
| 20 | Irvine, CA | 304,527 | $122,948 | $1,331,528 |
| 21 | Diamond Bar, CA | 54,534 | $106,881 | $934,630 |
| 22 | Orange, CA | 138,728 | $109,335 | $991,595 |
| 23 | Norco, CA | 25,328 | $120,636 | $821,192 |
| 24 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 174,696 | $105,534 | $736,775 |
| 25 | La Verne, CA | 31,239 | $103,816 | $888,737 |
| 26 | Glendora, CA | 52,095 | $106,718 | $836,144 |
| 27 | Chino Hills, CA | 78,223 | $117,548 | $913,774 |
| 28 | Buena Park, CA | 83,542 | $101,586 | $834,048 |
| 29 | Tustin, CA | 79,514 | $102,065 | $1,015,712 |
| 30 | San Dimas, CA | 34,466 | $102,241 | $863,283 |
| 31 | Upland, CA | 78,847 | $93,994 | $773,135 |
| 32 | Whittier, CA | 86,459 | $89,686 | $756,497 |
| 33 | Corona, CA | 158,346 | $103,727 | $721,686 |
| 34 | Covina, CA | 50,717 | $89,650 | $739,542 |
| 35 | West Covina, CA | 108,173 | $96,219 | $785,843 |
| 36 | Fullerton, CA | 142,280 | $99,279 | $936,138 |
| 37 | Monrovia, CA | 37,656 | $93,827 | $933,244 |
| 38 | San Gabriel, CA | 39,211 | $84,056 | $1,017,443 |
| 39 | Norwalk, CA | 101,893 | $91,259 | $694,399 |
| 40 | Duarte, CA | 21,686 | $93,908 | $736,339 |
| 41 | Rosemead, CA | 51,043 | $70,073 | $827,126 |
| 42 | Garden Grove, CA | 171,637 | $86,139 | $867,160 |
| 43 | La Habra, CA | 62,904 | $93,801 | $802,058 |
| 44 | Redlands, CA | 73,234 | $94,473 | $598,867 |
| 45 | Chino, CA | 91,008 | $99,385 | $711,183 |
| 46 | Temple, CA | 5,395 | $71,917 | $278,708 |
| 47 | Artesia, CA | 16,237 | $92,702 | $765,251 |
| 48 | Santa Fe Springs, CA | 18,840 | $81,500 | $711,899 |
| 49 | Anaheim, CA | 347,111 | $88,538 | $844,174 |
| 50 | Pico Rivera, CA | 61,561 | $82,539 | $694,218 |
| 51 | Westminster, CA | 90,638 | $80,271 | $952,142 |
| 52 | Santa Ana, CA | 311,379 | $84,210 | $753,174 |
| 53 | Grand Terrace, CA | 13,104 | $89,781 | $543,495 |
| 54 | La Puente, CA | 37,835 | $77,702 | $655,653 |
| 55 | Midway, CA | 3,500 | $58,393 | $252,104 |
| 56 | Fontana, CA | 209,279 | $93,230 | $592,297 |
| 57 | Riverside, CA | 316,076 | $83,448 | $606,630 |
| 58 | Azusa, CA | 49,704 | $81,516 | $657,103 |
| 59 | Stanton, CA | 38,271 | $76,123 | $701,971 |
| 60 | Montebello, CA | 62,056 | $72,317 | $752,515 |
| 61 | Lake Elsinore, CA | 69,993 | $89,788 | $556,993 |
| 62 | Loma Linda, CA | 24,883 | $70,685 | $601,788 |
| 63 | Baldwin Park, CA | 71,692 | $76,002 | $653,339 |
| 64 | Montclair, CA | 37,842 | $72,789 | $614,701 |
| 65 | Pomona, CA | 149,831 | $73,515 | $619,187 |
| 66 | Moreno Valley, CA | 209,578 | $82,637 | $523,823 |
| 67 | Jurupa Valley, CA | 105,672 | $91,562 | $617,207 |
| 68 | El Monte, CA | 108,682 | $59,929 | $705,480 |
| 69 | South El Monte, CA | 19,694 | $67,724 | $697,787 |
| 70 | Rialto, CA | 103,873 | $80,750 | $539,398 |
| 71 | Highland, CA | 56,789 | $72,222 | $500,464 |
| 72 | Colton, CA | 53,959 | $66,725 | $462,959 |
| 73 | Perris, CA | 78,881 | $78,352 | $510,724 |
| 74 | San Bernardino, CA | 221,041 | $61,323 | $455,364 |
| 75 | Hesperia, CA | 99,878 | $67,698 | $428,607 |