A recent WalletHub survey aimed to measure the best- and worst-run cities in the United States based on a variety of factors related to operating efficiency. The site created a “quality of city services” score with 33 performance indicators measured against individual city per-capita budgets.

In terms of the overall ranking (combined quality of service versus budget), Huntington Beach was the highest Southern California city at 15th. Santa Ana was 51st, then San Diego (57th), Riverside (110th), Anaheim (111th), Los Angeles (131st), and Long Beach (134th). 

When specifically talking about quality of service, Huntington Beach was No. 1 in the country. San Diego was 18th, followed by Santa Ana (32nd), Anaheim (39th), Riverside (46th), Los Angeles (50th), and Long Beach (59th). The discrepancy between the two figures lies with the budget constraints on those cities to spend on individual residents — versus overall infrastructure.

WalletHub also broke down some of the best and worst cities for the individual categories which made up the quality of services metric. Anaheim, Huntington Beach, and Santa Ana were tied for third in lowest infant mortality rate, and Huntington Beach also had the fifth-lowest poverty rate. However many of the California cities — including Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, and Los Angeles — are tied for the country’s lowest quality roads. Riverside also has the most air pollution in the country, closely followed by Long Beach, LA and Santa Ana. 

Southern California cities ranked in the top five for education (Huntington Beach) and health (Anaheim, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach) as well.

Source: WalletHub