Hot semi-arid
La Mesa, California
San Diego County, California · Population 61k · 531 ft elevation
Living in La Mesa
La Mesa has a hot semi-arid climate: hot summers (July highs around 86°F) and mild winters (January lows around 42°F).
Precipitation is dry at about 12″ a year, and it essentially never sees snow.
Skies are exceptionally sunny (86% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is poor: a median AQI of 67, with about 33 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
La Mesa is an outdoor hub: about 20% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 3,600 ft around town.
La Mesa at a glance
- Population
- 61k
- Elevation
- 531 ft
- Average daily high
- 77°F81th percentile
- Average daily low
- 53°F79th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 12″5th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 0″0th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,845 hrs98th percentile
- Median AQI
- 6796th percentile
- Median home value
- $739k93th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,958/mo86th percentile
- Median household income
- $84k61th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.67%23th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 13.3%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.3%
- Homes with broadband
- 93%62th percentile
- Walkability index
- 14.192th percentile
- Average commute
- 25 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 43%47th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 54%
- Violent crime rate
- 397 per 100k81th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 1,358 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 10093th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9191th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 8%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 20%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 3,642 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69°F | 42°F | 2.3″ | — | 250 hrs |
| Feb | 69°F | 44°F | 2.6″ | — | 236 hrs |
| Mar | 71°F | 48°F | 1.9″ | — | 307 hrs |
| Apr | 74°F | 51°F | 0.8″ | — | 335 hrs |
| May | 76°F | 56°F | 0.3″ | — | 385 hrs |
| Jun | 81°F | 59°F | 0.1″ | — | 404 hrs |
| Jul | 86°F | 63°F | 0.2″ | — | 393 hrs |
| Aug | 89°F | 65°F | 0.0″ | — | 380 hrs |
| Sep | 87°F | 62°F | 0.1″ | — | 336 hrs |
| Oct | 81°F | 56°F | 0.5″ | — | 311 hrs |
| Nov | 75°F | 47°F | 1.0″ | — | 263 hrs |
| Dec | 68°F | 42°F | 1.8″ | — | 242 hrs |
Near La Mesa
- Lemon Grove, CA · 27k
- Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, CA · 20k
- Spring Valley, CA · 32k
- La Presa, CA · 37k
- El Cajon, CA · 105k
- Bostonia, CA · 17k
- Rancho San Diego, CA · 22k
- Santee, CA · 59k
Largest places in California
- Los Angeles, CA · 3.9M
- San Diego, CA · 1.4M
- San Jose, CA · 990k
- San Francisco, CA · 836k
- Fresno, CA · 544k
- Sacramento, CA · 525k
- Long Beach, CA · 458k
- Oakland, CA · 438k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology