Manhattan Beach neighborhoods compared
Zillow does not publish neighborhood home values inside Manhattan Beach, and Redfin reports the city only as one ZIP, 90266. So instead of an index for each area, we compare the city's nine Census tracts. Each tract lines up closely with an area locals already name, and the American Community Survey (ACS, 2020-2024 five-year estimates) gives the same measures for all of them: how many homes there are, how many are detached houses, how many are owned rather than rented, and when the typical home was built. The nine tracts add up to the city's population of 34,210 exactly.
The tract lines are the Census Bureau's, not the city's, and the local names have no official boundaries we could find. We matched each tract to an area by geocoding a landmark inside it, such as a school address from the California Department of Education directory or a park from OpenStreetMap, with the Census Geocoder. One more caution: the ACS caps its median home value at $2,000,001, and eight of the nine tracts hit that cap, so the survey cannot rank them by price. For prices, use the citywide figures and recent sales on the block.
| Area (Census tract) | Homes | Detached houses | Owner-occupied | Median year built | Median rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Porto and the North End (6202.01) | 955 | 30% | 32% | 1970 | $3,500+ |
| Sand Section and Downtown (6203.05) | 3,289 | 54% | 50% | 1968 | $3,500+ |
| South Sand Section (6209.04) | 1,246 | 64% | 54% | 1973 | $3,500+ |
| Hill Section (6209.01) | 1,174 | 85% | 85% | 1966 | $2,906 |
| Tree Section north (6203.01) | 1,578 | 96% | 88% | 1960 | $2,459 |
| Tree Section south (6203.03) | 1,980 | 80% | 66% | 1969 | $3,480 |
| Manhattan Village (6204) | 2,149 | 48% | 66% | 1975 | $2,796 |
| East Manhattan Beach, Manhattan Heights (6208.01) | 1,478 | 86% | 86% | 1983 | $3,500+ |
| Poets Section, Mira Costa area (6208.02) | 1,432 | 54% | 55% | 1968 | $2,288 |
Detached share is out of all homes; owner-occupied share is out of occupied homes. The ACS tops out median rent at $3,500, shown as $3,500+. Every figure has a margin of error, which is wide for small tracts, so read differences of a few points as noise.
Citywide, Zillow's typical home value was $3,353,430 in September 2026, up 9.4% in a year and 95.0% in ten years, and September was the highest reading on record. Zillow's typical rent was $6,406 a month. For what living costs look like beyond the house price, see our Manhattan Beach cost of living guide.
Manhattan Beach neighborhood profiles
El Porto and the North End: the city's rental corner
El Porto is the north end of the beach, which Los Angeles County's beaches department describes as an extremely popular surf spot where you can take lessons. The tract that covers it, 6202.01, runs south from Rosecrans Avenue, the El Segundo line. It is small, with 955 homes and 1,559 residents, and it is the only part of the city where renters clearly outnumber owners: 68% of occupied homes are rented. More than half the homes, 527, are in buildings of two to four units, and only 30% are detached houses. Median rent is above the survey's $3,500 cap.
What to check: whether a duplex or triplex has permits for every unit, how parking works on narrow streets near the sand, and whether a unit sits in a tsunami hazard area on the California Geological Survey map. Investors should ask the city about short-term rental rules before counting on them.
Sand Section and Downtown: the pier, walk streets and the most homes
Tract 6203.05 holds the pier, Downtown and the walk streets around them, and Grand View Elementary at 455 24th Street sits at its north end. It is the largest tract by homes, 3,289, and the most mixed: 54% detached houses, 517 attached townhomes and 916 homes in two-to-four-unit buildings. Half of occupied homes are owned. It also has the highest share of homes not lived in when the survey counted, 28%, which usually points to second homes and seasonal rentals.
The county's beach page puts the 900-foot pier at the end of Manhattan Beach Boulevard, with more than 450 public parking spaces nearby and volleyball nets running south toward Hermosa Beach. The Downtown business group counts more than 250 businesses, including over 50 restaurants and cafes, and lists a certified farmers' market every Tuesday from 11am to 3pm. What to check: parking for guests, noise near the restaurants, and the seller's flood and tsunami disclosures.
South Sand Section: beach blocks toward Hermosa Beach
South of the pier, tract 6209.04 covers the beach blocks down to the Hermosa Beach line, with Opal Robinson Elementary at 80 Morningside Drive inside it. It has 1,246 homes, 64% of them detached houses, and 256 in two-to-four-unit buildings. Owners hold 54% of occupied homes, and 15% of homes were not occupied when surveyed, a sign of second homes. The median build year, 1973, is a little newer than the beach tracts north of the pier.
What to check: on the southern edge, confirm which city a parcel is in on the Los Angeles County Assessor's portal, because the Hermosa Beach line runs close by and a mailing address can mislead. Ask for permits on any rebuilt or added unit.
Hill Section: view houses and the oldest housing after the Tree Section
OpenStreetMap maps the Hill Section as a named area east of the south Sand Section, with Larsson Street running through it, and the Census Geocoder places that street in tract 6209.01. It has 2,722 people in 1,174 homes, and it is mostly owners (85%) in detached houses (85%). The median home was built in 1966. Median household income in the tract is above the survey's $250,000 cap.
What to check: hillside lots raise questions the flat tracts don't, such as retaining walls, drainage and view protection. Ask the city's planning department whether any view rules or height limits apply to the parcel and to the lots below it.
Tree Section north: almost all detached houses
OpenStreetMap places its Tree Section label in tract 6203.01, west of Sepulveda Boulevard. This is the most uniform area in the city: 96% of its 1,578 homes are detached houses, 88% of occupied homes are owned, and there are no townhomes or small multi-unit buildings in the survey count at all. The median home was built in 1960, the oldest of any tract, so expect a mix of original houses and newer rebuilds; the listing and permit history tell you which.
What to check: on an older house, the sewer lateral, electrical panel and foundation; on a rebuild, the final permit sign-offs. Lot size, not the house, often sets the price on these streets, so compare price per square foot of land as well as of living space.
Tree Section south: houses around Pacific Elementary
Tract 6203.03 covers the southern part of the Tree Section, with Pacific Elementary at 1200 Pacific Avenue inside it. It has 1,980 homes, 80% of them detached, plus 230 homes in buildings of five or more units. Owners hold 66% of occupied homes, a lower share than the north Tree Section because of those apartments. The median build year is 1969.
What to check: on streets near the apartment buildings and the commercial edge, parking and traffic at school drop-off times. Visit at 8am and 3pm on a school day.
Manhattan Village: townhomes, condos and the shopping center
East of Sepulveda Boulevard, OpenStreetMap labels the area around Marine Avenue Park as Manhattan Village. Its tract, 6204, also holds Meadows Avenue Elementary at 1200 Meadows Avenue and Manhattan Beach Middle School at 1501 North Redondo Avenue. Only 48% of its 2,149 homes are detached houses; 472 are attached townhomes and 292 are in larger buildings. It is the only tract where the median home value, $1,877,500, falls below the survey's $2 million cap, which makes it the most likely place in the city to find a lower entry price. The median build year is 1975.
The Manhattan Village shopping center at 3200 Sepulveda Boulevard is an open-air center with Apple, Macy's and West Elm among its stores. What to check: HOA dues, reserves and any special assessments on townhomes and condos, and noise from Sepulveda on the western edge. See our Manhattan Beach condos guide.
East Manhattan Beach and Manhattan Heights: the newest homes
OpenStreetMap places Polliwog Park, the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden and Manhattan Heights Park in East Manhattan Beach. Manhattan Heights Park falls in tract 6208.01, which has the newest housing in the city: the median home was built in 1983, against 1970 citywide. Of its 1,478 homes, 86% are detached and 86% of occupied homes are owned.
East of Aviation Boulevard the city ends: the Census Geocoder puts Hawthorne across the street near Marine Avenue and Redondo Beach further south. What to check: newer homes are not always rebuilt to current energy and seismic standards, so read the inspection carefully, and confirm the city line on the assessor's portal near Aviation.
Poets Section and the Mira Costa area: schools and apartments along Artesia
The Poets Section takes its name from streets such as Shelley, Keats and Tennyson, which OpenStreetMap maps near Artesia Boulevard. Their tract, 6208.02, also holds Mira Costa High School at 1401 Artesia Boulevard, Pennekamp Elementary at 110 South Rowell Avenue and the school district office at 325 South Peck Avenue. It is the most apartment-heavy tract: 380 of its 1,432 homes are in buildings of five or more units. Detached houses make up 54%, and owners hold 55% of occupied homes. Its median rent, $2,288, is the lowest of any tract.
What to check: traffic on Artesia at school times, and, for a house backing onto the boulevard, noise. Artesia is also the southern edge; just south of it the Census Geocoder puts Hermosa Beach.
Manhattan Beach neighborhoods by what you are looking for
Best Manhattan Beach area for walking: Downtown and the Sand Section
Downtown has the pier, the Strand, more than 250 businesses and the Tuesday farmers' market within a few blocks. Outside Downtown, check the walk to shops and the beach from the specific address.
Best Manhattan Beach area for surfing and beach access: El Porto
The county calls El Porto an extremely popular surf spot. The North End is also the most rental-heavy tract, so it is where short-term buyers and renters most often start.
Best Manhattan Beach areas for detached houses: the Tree Section and Hill Section
Tract 6203.01 is 96% detached houses and the Hill Section 85%, with owners in most homes. These are the places to look for a single-family street with few apartments.
Best Manhattan Beach area for newer homes: East Manhattan Beach
Tract 6208.01's median build year of 1983 is the newest in the city. Across the west side, newer homes usually mean a rebuild on an old lot, so check the year of the rebuild, not the original.
Best Manhattan Beach areas for a lower entry price: Manhattan Village and condos
Manhattan Village is the only tract with a median value below $2 million, and it has 472 attached townhomes. In the three months to September 2026, Redfin's median sale price in 90266 was $2,881,254 for townhouses against $3,904,015 for detached houses. Condo sales were too few, two, to give a useful median.
Best Manhattan Beach area for parks: East Manhattan Beach
Polliwog Park, the Botanical Garden, Manhattan Heights Park and Marine Avenue Park are all east of Sepulveda. On the west side, Sand Dune Park preserves some of the area's original dunes, according to the county's beach page.
Schools: the elementary schools above are listed by address only. Attendance areas are set by the Manhattan Beach Unified School District and do not follow these tracts, so check any address with the district and read results on the California School Dashboard. Our Manhattan Beach schools guide covers the district.
How to compare Manhattan Beach neighborhoods before you offer
- Price the lot, not only the house. On older streets, compare land value per square foot on nearby sales, then the condition of the house.
- Confirm the city on border streets. Manhattan Beach meets El Segundo at Rosecrans, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach at Aviation, and Hermosa Beach to the south. ZIP 90266 also spills slightly into El Segundo. Check the parcel on the county assessor's portal.
- Read the hazard disclosures. Beach tracts can fall in tsunami hazard areas; see our California seller disclosure guide for what the seller must give you.
- Budget the tax bill. At these prices the Prop 13 base resets to a large number when you buy; our Los Angeles County property tax guide shows the math.
- Check rentals before you count on income. El Porto and the Sand Section have the most rentals; ask the city about current short-term rental rules.
For crime figures and how to check an address, see our Manhattan Beach crime data guide; for ZIP-level prices, the Manhattan Beach ZIP code guide and the 90266 market data. Our Manhattan Beach homes guide covers buying and selling in the city.