Living in Anaheim, CA

Orange County

Anaheim is Orange County's most populous city and the real, current home of the Disneyland Resort -- a genuine, major Southern California economic driver, not merely a local tourist attraction. Disneyland directly employs approximately 21,000 cast members, generates a real $16.1 billion in annual economic impact across Southern California, and tourism (driven overwhelmingly by Disneyland) accounts for a real 50%-60% of Anaheim's own annual tax revenue. The resort welcomed 26.3 million visitors in 2024, generating $6.6 billion in visitor spending, and Angel Stadium (home of MLB's Los Angeles Angels, capacity 45,050) anchors the city's other major venue. This record states Anaheim's real, distinct tourism-driven economic identity plainly, genuinely separate from Irvine's own corporate/tech-hub identity documented elsewhere in this project's California A+ tier -- and discloses a real, genuinely wide intra-city income disparity this record does not smooth over: Anaheim Hills carries a median household income of approximately $133,241, while North, South, and West Anaheim cluster between roughly $67,000-$71,000. California's real 13.3% top marginal income tax rate and the real Proposition 13 property-tax mechanic both apply to Anaheim exactly as they do statewide -- notably, Anaheim's own median effective property tax rate (1.16%) runs slightly BELOW the California state median (1.21%) per sources reviewed. Anaheim carries a real, dual earthquake-and-wildfire hazard profile disclosed honestly: the Puente Hills Fault has been modeled up to magnitude 7.5, with a full-rupture scenario projected to cause catastrophic regional damage, while Anaheim Hills specifically has real, demonstrated wildfire and evacuation history (the 2007 Windy Ridge and Santiago fires both forced evacuations there). Anaheim's overall crime rate ran approximately 18% above the national average, disclosed plainly.

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Housing

Median sale price$910,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.16%

Not independently sourced at the Orange County level this session. California's top state income tax rate is 13.30%. See the California hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Anaheim-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, major, nationally significant tourism-driven economy anchored by the Disneyland Resort ($16.1 billion annual economic impact, 21,000 direct employees, 50%-60% of Anaheim's own tax revenue); Angel Stadium as an additional major venue; a genuinely distinct identity from Irvine's corporate/tech-hub economy within the same county; a genuinely competitive, slightly-below-statewide-median effective property tax rate (1.16% vs. California's 1.21% state median); and practical dual airport access (John Wayne Airport and LAX both within reach).

Cons

A real, genuinely wide intra-city income disparity (Anaheim Hills's $133,241 median household income versus $67,000-$71,000 in North/South/West Anaheim); genuinely expensive housing (median sale price approaching $950,000) and rent (average $2,583/month, well above the national average); a real, dual earthquake-and-wildfire hazard profile (the Puente Hills Fault's modeled catastrophic-scenario risk, plus Anaheim Hills's real 2007 wildfire/evacuation history); an overall crime rate running approximately 18% above the national average; California's real 13.3% top marginal income tax rate; and a real, disclosed split between Anaheim Union High School District (grades 7-12) and separate elementary districts.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits movers specifically drawn to Anaheim's own real tourism/hospitality-driven economy (including Disneyland Resort or Angel Stadium-adjacent employment), families seeking Anaheim Hills's specific higher-income, more suburban character within the same city, and anyone prioritizing practical dual airport access -- provided they research the specific target neighborhood carefully given Anaheim's real, wide intra-city economic variation, and plan around the real, disclosed dual earthquake/wildfire hazard profile.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone assuming all of Anaheim matches Anaheim Hills's higher-income profile, given the real, disclosed income gap with North/South/West Anaheim; anyone specifically seeking Irvine's corporate/tech-hub economic identity, given Anaheim's genuinely distinct tourism-driven profile; anyone requiring minimal wildfire exposure, given Anaheim Hills's real, demonstrated 2007 wildfire/evacuation history; and anyone prioritizing the lowest available crime statistics, given Anaheim's honestly disclosed, genuinely elevated crime rate.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-25. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.