Norwalk, California, known as "The Keystone City," is a vibrant and diverse community located near Los Angeles and Long Beach. With its rich history, strong local economy, and welcoming community, Norwalk offers a high quality of life for its residents. The city's blend of suburban tranquility and urban amenities makes living in Norwalk an attractive option for families and professionals.
Residents of Norwalk enjoy a variety of recreational activities and cultural events. The city's numerous parks, cultural centers, and recreational facilities provide ample opportunities for outdoor activities and enrichment. The Norwalk Arts & Sports Complex and the Cerritos College are popular destinations that celebrate the city's cultural richness and educational opportunities. The annual Norwalk Halloween Parade and the Norwalk Summer Concerts are events that showcase Norwalk's vibrant community spirit.
Norwalk's strong economy is supported by a diverse range of industries, including healthcare, education, and retail. The city's strategic location near Los Angeles and Long Beach provides residents with easy access to job opportunities and cultural amenities in both metropolitan areas. Major employers in the area include the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District and Metropolitan State Hospital.
Norwalk places a strong emphasis on community health and wellness, with numerous parks, recreational facilities, and health programs available to residents. The city's commitment to promoting an active and healthy lifestyle contributes to the overall well-being of its community.
Public transportation in Norwalk is well-developed, with access to Norwalk Transit System buses and the Metrolink commuter train, facilitating easy commutes within the city and to neighboring areas. Norwalk's climate features mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers, allowing for year-round outdoor activities. Overall, Norwalk offers a blend of natural beauty, economic opportunity, and community spirit, making it a desirable place to live.
Commute
An elevated score in the commute category points to excellent public transit accessibility and shorter-than-average work commute times in this area.
Employment
Higher than average median household income, income per capita and lower unemployment rates are seen in this area. The result is a high score in the employment category.
Housing
High scores in the housing category are a distinguishing feature of this area, possibly driven by a favorable home affordability ratio, higher home values and appreciation rates.
Ratings
Based on recent surveys and polls, locals gave high marks in the walkability to local amenities, safety, public transit, friendliness of neighbors and overall sense of community in the area.
Amenities
The majority of amenities are not ideally located within walking distance. To access these amenities, residents may be required to rely on a vehicle or public transit.
Cost Of Living
Living in this region comes with a high cost of living, translating to elevated costs for homes, goods and services, groceries, utilities, health care and transportation.
Norwalk, California is a medium-sized city with a population of 107,725 inhabitants. With a population density of 11,096 people per square mile, Norwalk is well above the nation's average density level. More than a quarter of the residents of Norwalk identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino, and 51% of the population speak Spanish as their primary or secondary language. All the single ladies and all the single fellas might want to take notice as only 50% of the Norwalk population is married. When traveling to work, spending unnecessary time in your vehicle is not ideal and downright frustrating. Across all of America, the average one way commute time is 26 minutes, unfortunately, living in Norwalk offers up a higher than average one way commute time of 31 minutes.
Whether you’re moving to a new town to be closer to family, friends or for a new job, living in Norwalk could be a positive experience compared to other cities in California if you know where to look. Don't forget to determine what matters most to you in a neighborhood. Consider factors such as safety, proximity to work or school, access to amenities (like parks, fitness facilities, grocery stores, restaurants), public transportation options, community atmosphere and the overall vibe you're looking for. Using the livability score which includes data from categories like amenities, crime, commute, housing, you can easily compare the best places to live in Norwalk and also determine if there are any nearby cities that might be a better match for your lifestyle. You can also compare Norwalk to California and the national average.
Using data and statistics Norwalk has received a livability score of 69 out of 100. This score is ranked in the 72nd percentile when compared to all other cities. If we consider each of the categories on their own, we see that Norwalk ranks well for employment (A+) and housing (B+). There is at least one category that does not have great scores in Norwalk. The following was graded with a disappointing score: amenities (D-) and cost of living (F).
A healthy real estate market serves as a key economic indicator. It could signify overall local economic strength, stability and reflects consumer confidence in the area. Based on multiple factors including: median home and rental prices, appreciation rates and home affordability, Norwalk has received high marks in the housing category. Based on these calculations, the apartment rental and real estate market appears to be very healthy.
Assuming that Norwalk meets all of your requirements like low crime rates, good schools and great local amenities, the next most important item to examine is the affordability of real estate in Norwalk. Everything else becomes a lot less important if it turns out that home prices in Norwalk are simply unattainable. The median home price for Norwalk homes is $832,610, which is 13.8% higher than the California average. If we take a closer look at the affordability of homes in Norwalk, we’ll see that the home price to income ratio is 7.1, which is 7.8% lower than the California average.
Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.
| Statistic | Norwalk | California | National |
| Average one way commute | 31min | 28min | 26min |
| Workers who drive to work | 81.1% | 73.5% | 76.4% |
| Workers who carpool | 10.2% | 10.6% | 9.3% |
| Workers who take public transit | 2.6% | 5.2% | 5.1% |
| Workers who bicycle | 0.6% | 1.1% | 0.6% |
| Workers who walk | 1.2% | 2.7% | 2.8% |
| Working from home | 2.3% | 5.4% | 4.6% |
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