LOS ANGELES, CA — A new report found that wellbeing and life expectancy vary dramatically across Los Angeles County — with residents in the highest-ranked communities living up to 16 years longer than those in the lowest-ranked ones.

The rankings were determined by a study published this month by Measure of America that was funded in part by the county. The study, “A Portrait of Los Angeles County 2026,” is a follow-up to a 2017 edition that has guided the decision-making of county departments and nonprofits.

“Through this report, we hope to build upon our roadmap and better understand the successes that have allowed us to expand our culturally responsive, community-based services, but also learn where we need to do more work and close gaps in outcomes,” said Dr. Lisa H. Wong, director of the county Department of Mental Health. “This report will guide us on how we design programs and allocate resources.”

The study uses the American Human Development Index to rank overall wellbeing in the county’s neighborhoods, cities and unincorporated areas, as well as by race and ethnicity and gender. The index combines data on life expectancy, earnings and education into a single score ranging from 0 to 10.

The neighborhood area consisting of Brentwood and Pacific Palisades had the highest HDI value of anywhere in the county at 9.58.

It also had the second-highest life expectancy at birth (88 years), the sixth-highest education index value (9.61) and sixth-highest median personal earnings ($103,500).

The study notes that the figures were calculated before the January 2025 Palisades Fire “The very people whose score was highest when calculated using 2023 data are now grappling with worlds of loss,” the authors wrote.

For comparison, the county’s lowest HDI value was in Southeast Los Angeles (3.03).

The Antelope Valley community of Sun Village had the lowest life expectancy at birth: 71.8. Residents there had a life expectancy 16 years shorter than in Westwood, which had the county’s highest life expectancy (88.1).

The education index — calculated based on school enrollment and degree attainment — was highest in Westwood (9.91) and was lowest in the southeast LA County city of Maywood (1.67).

Median earnings were highest in Palos Verdes Estates ($120,200) and lowest in Westwood, home to a large population of UCLA students ($19,800). The city of Cudahy had the second-lowest median earnings ($28,300).

LA County Communities Ranked By HDI
Community HDI Score Life Expectancy
Median Earnings

Edu. Index

1 Brentwood
Pacific Palisades

9.58

88.0 103,500 9.61 2 Palos Verdes Estates 9.49 87.0 120,200 9.72 3 Bel Air
Beverly Crest 9.20 86.1 98,000 9.20 4 Manhattan Beach 9.16 85.4 114,200 9.40 5 Beverly Hills 9.09 87.7 71,700 9.49 6 Rolling Hills Estates 9.07 85.9 78,800 9.58 7 Malibu 9.04 84.6 83,400 9.63 8 La Cañada Flintridge 9.00 83.4 110,200 9.75 9 Calabasas 8.98 85.1 89,800 8.98 10 Rancho Palos Verdes 8.98 84.3 95,000 9.32 11 Agoura Hills 8.93 84.7 89,400 9.01 12 Westlake Village 8.91 85.1 83,200 9.00 13 Westchester
Playa del Rey 8.88 85.5 80,300 9.03 14 San Marino 8.82 85.6 74,400 9.31 15 Sierra Madre 8.82 82.7 83,200 9.76 16 Hermosa Beach 8.77 82.9 104,400 9.26 17 Culver City 8.71 83.5 87,600 8.83 18 South Pasadena 8.66 83.2 79,600 9.37 19 Stevenson Ranch 8.65 85.8 80,800 8.18 20 Topanga 8.62 85.7 70,300 9.08 21 Santa Monica 8.59 84.4 82,500 8.39 22 Redondo Beach 8.58 83.2 88,700 8.58 23 Venice 8.55 84.9 85,600 7.82 24 West Los Angeles 8.44 86.4 74,300 7.87 25 El Segundo 8.27 82.5 83,400 8.16 26 Sherman Oaks
Studio City
Toluca Lake
Cahuenga Pass 8.17 84.4 71,400 8.17 27 La Crescenta
Montrose 7.95 84.1 66,100 8.17 28 Encino
Tarzana 7.93 84.3 62,700 8.40 29 Arcadia 7.88 85.4 60,700 7.99 30 Palms
Mar Vista
Del Rey 7.72 84.1 66,600 7.40 31 Cerritos 7.65 83.7 63,100 7.77 32 Altadena 7.54 82.9 62,600 7.78 33 Torrance 7.49 82.7 62,800 7.72 34 Diamond Bar 7.45 84.8 55,200 7.61 35 Claremont 7.35 82.3 49,800 9.07 36 Pasadena 7.31 82.9 59,600 7.46 37 View Park
Windsor Hills 7.28 81.6 65,000 7.32 38 Walnut 7.26 83.6 54,600 7.63 39 Marina del Rey 7.21 77.9 105,400 6.67 40 Del Aire 7.00 83.6 66,500 5.47 41 West Hollywood 6.97 81.9 69,500 5.78 42 Signal Hill 6.78 82.0 61,200 6.04 43 Chatsworth
Porter Ranch 6.77 82.6 54,800 6.55 44 Burbank 6.76 82.0 57,600 6.43 45 La Verne 6.75 80.9 56,200 7.00 46 Castaic 6.74 80.3 65,300 6.18 47 Granada Hills
Knollwood 6.67 82.8 55,300 6.08 48 Silver Lake
Echo Park
Elysian Valley 6.66 83.9 51,400 6.12 49 Santa Clarita 6.65 82.0 57,500 6.09 50 East San Gabriel 6.56 84.7 44,700 6.46 51 East Whittier 6.48 79.4 59,300 6.46 52 Glendale 6.48 82.0 50,000 6.56 53 La Mirada 6.44 81.7 51,300 6.37 54 Temple City 6.40 82.0 48,800 6.46 55 Canoga Park
Winnetka
Woodland Hills
West Hills 6.39 82.9 48,700 6.11 56 Westwood 6.37 88.1 19,800 9.91 57 Alhambra 6.35 83.4 47,800 5.91 58 Monrovia 6.35 80.8 51,200 6.54 59 Hacienda Heights 6.30 83.7 47,200 5.71 60 San Dimas 6.24 79.5 51,700 6.66 61 Hollywood 6.18 81.5 50,400 5.82 62 Glendora 6.17 79.0 52,200 6.59 63 Wilshire 6.11 83.3 44,800 5.67 64 Monterey Park 6.05 84.1 43,600 5.31 65 Rowland Heights 6.05 83.5 42,300 5.81 66 Lakewood 6.03 80.3 55,200 5.26 67 San Gabriel 5.99 84.0 42,900 5.33 68 Northridge 5.97 81.8 41,100 6.46 69 Northeast Los Angeles 5.90 83.2 43,500 5.29 70 West Carson 5.89 79.9 48,000 5.95 71 Downtown 5.83 79.8 59,700 4.28 72 West Covina 5.83 82.4 45,200 5.14 – California 5.82 80.0 44,657 5.66 73 San Pedro 5.80 81.4 46,400 5.28 74 Whittier 5.76 80.4 47,400 5.44 75 Duarte 5.75 82.0 45,700 4.98 76 Sunland
Tujunga
Lake View Terrace
Shadow Hills
East La Tuna Canyon 5.73 81.6 46,000 5.03 77 Lomita 5.69 78.1 48,800 5.98 – LA County 5.64 80.5 48,158 5.46 78 North Hollywood
Valley Village 5.49 81.3 42,800 4.95
City of Los Angeles 5.48 81.0 41,800 5.21 79 Los Angeles 5.48 81.0 41,800 5.21 80 Quartz Hill 5.48 79.1 54,900 4.11 81 Long Beach 5.40 79.2 44,700 5.24 82 Downey 5.39 81.0 43,400 4.72 83 Carson 5.36 79.5 45,700 4.89 84 Reseda
West Van Nuys 5.29 80.5 40,900 5.02 85 Covina 5.28 79.4 45,100 4.76 86 West Whittier
Los Nietos 5.21 80.0 45,800 4.17 87 Van Nuys
North Sherman Oaks 5.20 80.7 40,500 4.74 88 Charter Oak 5.18 79.0 42,400 5.03 89 Avocado Heights 5.08 80.1 40,200 4.67 90 Sylmar 5.06 82.0 40,300 3.78 91 Santa Fe Springs 4.99 80.9 42,400 3.66 92 Gardena 4.95 78.9 39,800 4.83 93 Montebello 4.94 81.6 37,900 4.01 94 South Whittier 4.94 79.3 43,800 3.97 95 Norwalk 4.89 79.5 42,100 4.03 96 Harbor Gateway 4.84 80.9 38,200 3.98 97 West Adams
Baldwin Hills
Leimert 4.79 78.6 40,700 4.31 98 Hawaiian Gardens 4.76 83.7 36,500 2.85 99 Pico Rivera 4.76 80.0 41,500 3.51 100 Rosemead 4.76 82.4 35,100 3.70 101 Alondra Park 4.71 81.0 40,400 3.15 102 Azusa 4.71 78.9 36,300 4.77 103 Artesia 4.70 76.9 37,400 5.34 104 Hawthorne 4.66 78.7 38,600 4.24 105 Bellflower 4.61 78.5 38,500 4.22 106 Lancaster 4.61 75.1 46,500 4.29 107 West Puente Valley 4.54 79.3 38,300 3.72 108 Inglewood 4.52 79.1 37,000 3.99 109 San Fernando 4.48 80.0 38,300 3.24 110 Palmdale 4.47 77.4 40,500 3.90 111 Mission Hills
Panorama City
North Hills 4.38 80.4 34,300 3.56 112 Lawndale 4.38 78.6 37,100 3.72 113 Commerce 4.37 79.2 38,600 3.18 114 Pomona 4.34 79.2 35,300 3.70 115 Wilmington
Harbor City 4.32 80.3 34,300 3.41 116 Walnut Park 4.30 80.8 35,300 2.93 117 Sun Valley
La Tuna Canyon 4.27 79.2 35,000 3.53 118 Citrus 4.23 78.0 36,900 3.59 119 Arleta
Pacoima 4.16 81.5 34,400 2.39 120 Baldwin Park 4.16 79.9 34,800 2.96 121 El Monte 4.11 80.9 32,200 2.94 122 La Puente 4.11 79.3 36,200 2.84 123 South Gate 4.08 80.0 34,500 2.75 124 Bell 4.05 81.7 32,100 2.45 125 Valinda 4.05 78.0 35,600 3.30 126 South El Monte 4.00 81.6 32,700 2.23 127 Vincent 3.97 76.3 37,600 3.38 128 Paramount 3.94 78.0 35,000 3.06 129 Westlake 3.89 79.6 31,800 2.93 130 South Los Angeles 3.82 78.2 31,800 3.33 131 Boyle Heights 3.80 80.6 30,600 2.52 132 Huntington Park 3.77 81.6 31,000 1.91 133 Lake Los Angeles 3.76 72.3 41,200 3.79 134 West Athens 3.72 74.7 35,000 3.80 135 West Rancho Dominguez 3.72 73.1 40,400 3.49 136 East Los Angeles 3.63 78.5 32,700 2.43 137 South San Jose Hills 3.62 77.4 33,200 2.72 138 Lynwood 3.55 77.6 32,800 2.51 139 Maywood 3.52 80.5 30,700 1.67 140 Bell Gardens 3.51 78.8 30,200 2.46 141 Lennox 3.51 78.8 31,500 2.20 142 East Rancho Dominguez 3.46* 77.5 35,100 1.82* 143 Sun Village 3.44 71.8 43,800 2.58 144 Compton 3.42 76.2 35,000 2.30 145 Westmont 3.32 74.4 32,600 3.22 146 Willowbrook 3.26 74.1 34,400 2.78 147 Cudahy 3.18 78.8 28,300 1.94 148 Florence-Graham 3.08 77.2 30,200 1.85 149 Southeast Los Angeles 3.03 77.7 29,000 1.78

* indicates estimates with a higher degree of uncertainty, researchers said.

The full study is available on Measure of America’s website.