Is Grover Beach, CA a Good Place to Live?
Grover Beach is a small city of 12,757 in California, with a median household income of $80,438 and a 3.1% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 111 (US average = 100), which is 11% above the national average.
Strengths: Grover Beach stands out for lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B-), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: Potential downsides include an above-average cost of living, high home prices. Whether Grover Beach is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Grover Beach city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 110.8Grover Beach's overall cost of living index is 110.8, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Grover Beach costs roughly 11% more than the average American city.
| Metric | Grover Beach, CA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $639,400 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,799 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 57.0% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $80,438 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Safer than AverageGrover Beach's violent crime rate is 320.1 per 100,000 residents — 16% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Grover Beach is served primarily by Lucia Mar Unified. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19.8:1 (slightly above the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Grover Beach, CA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Lucia Mar Unified | — |
| Elementary Schools | 11 | — |
| Middle Schools | 3 | — |
| High Schools | 4 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 19.8:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 30.9% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 86.1% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Grover Beach sees average highs of 64.8°F in January and 70.3°F in July, with 17.9 inches of annual precipitation .
| Metric | Grover Beach, CA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 64.8°F |
| Average High — July | 70.3°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 17.9" |
| Annual Snowfall | Trace / None |
Demographics
| Metric | Grover Beach, CA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,757 | — |
| Median Age | 40.3 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.1% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 19.2 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 74.0% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 1.4% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16.7% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 2.9% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 21.5% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 18.5% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Grover Beach
Grover Beach, CA is covered by 1 ZIP code: