3 San Diego Area Cities Ranked Among Top Beach Towns In U.S.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — There's nothing like living near the water and enjoying the waves, sand and surf nearby.

A new report from Stacker ranked the best beach towns in the U.S. with three cities in San Diego County making the cut. Carlsbad ranked eighth, Encinitas ranked ninth and Coronado ranked 26th.

Stacker gathered 2020 data from Wallethub to compare coastal towns across the country, describing how living near the beach just makes people happy and healthy. Using six categories, the report identifies the range of pros that beach living can offer, including affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life.

Here's how Carlsbad ranked:

• Total score: 58.9
• Affordability rank: #22
• Weather rank: #69
• Safety rank: #66
• Economy rank: #8
• Education & health rank: #19
• Quality of life rank: #27

Here's how Coronado ranked:

• Total score: 55.0
• Affordability rank: #43
• Weather rank: #74
• Safety rank: #16
• Economy rank: #62
• Education & health rank: #22
• Quality of life rank: #48

Here's how Encinitas ranked:

• Total score: 58.2
• Affordability rank: #24
• Weather rank: #66
• Safety rank: #36
• Economy rank: #21
• Education & health rank: #14
• Quality of life rank: #33

Two states ranked the highest in the report: California and Florida. The sunny states feature tons of coastal destinations and towns, with Stacker ranking Manhattan Beach at No. 39, Dana Point at No. 28, Coronado at No. 26, San Mateo at No. 25, Santa Cruz at No. 22, Seal Beach at No. 19, Hermosa Beach at No. 18, San Clemente at No. 16, Laguna Beach at No. 14 and Santa Barbara at No. 11.

These beaches ranked in the top 10 beach towns in the U.S.:

1. Naples, Florida
2. Lahaina, Hawaii
3. Boca Raton, Florida
4. Newport Beach, California
5. Santa Monica, California
6. Sarasota, Florida
7. Kailua, Hawaii
8. Carlsbad, California
9. Encinitas, California
10. Vero Beach, Florida

Check out the full Stacker report and see which other beach towns made the cut.

Patch editors Nicole Charky and Kristina Houck contributed to this report.