The Town FilesWinter Gardens, California
Community in San Diego County · population 22,380 (2020 Census)
- Median home
- $608,600
- Household income
- $97,973
- Jan low / Jul high
- 43° / 86°
- Snow a year
- 0 in
- Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
- 1
- Median age
- 38.1
Winter Gardens is a community of 22,380 people in San Diego County, California. The median home is worth $608,600, close to the typical California town ($596,900). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 84% of California towns, more walkable than 77% of California towns, more of a college town than 74% of California towns.
How Winter Gardens ranks
Percentile among California towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of California towns.
Homes and cost of living
The median home in Winter Gardens is worth $608,600, close to the typical California town ($596,900). Homes cost about 6.2 times the median household income of $97,973, which is more affordable than 55% of California towns. Median rent is $1,913 a month. 63.5% of households own their home.
| Housing | Winter Gardens | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $608,600 | $596,900 |
| Median rent | $1,913 | $1,827 |
| Median household income | $97,973 | $91,557 |
| Home value ÷ income | 6.2× | 6.4× |
| Homeownership | 63.5% | 67.4% |
| Median year built | 1977 | 1977 |
| Seasonal / vacation homes | 0.1% | — |
Who lives in Winter Gardens
| People | Winter Gardens | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.1 | 40.2 |
| Age 65 and over | 13.6% | 17.7% |
| Under 18 | 24.8% | — |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.2% | 27.7% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.3% | 10.3% |
| Veterans | 7.2% | — |
| Born outside the U.S. | 13.2% | — |
| Work from home | 13.5% | 13.4% |
| Average commute | 25.9 min | 27.5 min |
| Homes with broadband | 95.5% | 93.3% |
Weather in Winter Gardens
July highs average 86.1°F and January lows 42.5°F. About 11.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical California town: 0.0 in). Expect about 57 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 3 nights at or below freezing.
Tornadoes, storms and disasters
1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Winter Gardens since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical California town. The strongest, an F1, struck on November 10, 2000 about 8.9 miles from the town center. The most recent was on November 10, 2000.
Severe weather in San Diego County since 1996
San Diego County has been included in 51 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, freezing.
| Declared | Incident | Declaration |
|---|---|---|
| February 19, 2024 | Flood | DR-4758: Severe Storm And Flooding |
| January 14, 2023 | Flood | DR-4683: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| January 9, 2023 | Flood | EM-3591: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides |
| October 16, 2020 | Fire | DR-4569: Wildfires |
| March 22, 2020 | Biological | DR-4482: Covid-19 Pandemic |
Jobs and pay in San Diego County
San Diego County had 1,536,541 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $82,854 a year. Unemployment was 3.9% in 2023; in Winter Gardens itself the ACS puts it at 5.2%.
Towns near Winter Gardens
- Bostonia, CA1.6 mi · 16,882 people · home $487,600
- Lakeside, CA1.8 mi · 21,152 people · home $634,400
- Granite Hills, CA2.7 mi · 3,267 people · home $974,500
- El Cajon, CA3.2 mi · 106,215 people · home $681,700
- Eucalyptus Hills, CA3.5 mi · 5,517 people · home $857,200
- Santee, CA3.7 mi · 60,037 people · home $727,200
- Crest, CA4.3 mi · 2,828 people · home $724,500
- Harbison Canyon, CA5.2 mi · 4,048 people · home $688,600
Winter Gardens questions
Is Winter Gardens, California a good place to retire?
On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Winter Gardens scores better for retirees than 23% of California towns and quieter than 22%. 13.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 38.1).
How much does a house cost in Winter Gardens?
The median owner-occupied home in Winter Gardens is valued at $608,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $97,973, so homes cost about 6.2 times income. Median rent is $1,913 a month.
What is the weather like in Winter Gardens?
July highs average 86.1°F and January lows 42.5°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 11.6 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.
Does Winter Gardens get tornadoes?
1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Winter Gardens since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on November 10, 2000. The typical California town has had 2.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
- FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
- NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
- The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)