Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
Ranking CITY (145 largest of California) Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024
Among the 145 places in California, Redding Merced and Fresno . Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
What the ranking shows Across the 145 places in California that we cover, the median is $2,249 and the average $2,299; the figure runs from $1,379 (Redding ) to $3,501 (Atherton ). That is a spread of 2.5 times between the two ends. The state figure is $2,036; 95 of the 145 places are above it and 50 at or below.
How to use it The first five are Redding , Merced , Fresno , Indio , Bakersfield . A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: low rent can reflect a smaller job market or older housing stock, so look at income and commute too. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
Sort: # City County Median rent a month Population Median household income A–Z / Smallest first ▲ Z–A / Largest first ▼
# ⇅ City ⇅ County ⇅ Median rent a month ⇅ Population ⇅ Median household income ⇅ 1 Redding Shasta County $1,379 93,409 $70,466 2 Merced Merced County $1,393 91,953 $63,122 3 Fresno Fresno County $1,421 545,970 $70,991 4 Indio Riverside County $1,437 91,950 $77,167 5 Bakersfield Kern County $1,472 411,986 $80,540 6 Chico Butte County $1,488 102,188 $66,977 7 Visalia Tulare County $1,490 143,939 $81,989 8 East Los Angeles (unincorporated) Los Angeles County $1,494 111,647 $68,741 9 San Bernardino San Bernardino County $1,508 222,724 $67,415 10 South Gate Los Angeles County $1,531 91,483 $74,571 11 Hemet Riverside County $1,575 91,326 $57,719 12 Stockton San Joaquin County $1,577 322,326 $79,907 13 Arden-Arcade (unincorporated) Sacramento County $1,588 94,994 $77,321 14 Hesperia San Bernardino County $1,590 100,775 $72,160 15 Victorville San Bernardino County $1,618 137,627 $74,410 16 Compton Los Angeles County $1,664 92,698 $78,465 17 Modesto Stanislaus County $1,690 219,215 $79,891 18 Carmichael (unincorporated) Sacramento County $1,702 76,948 $85,914 19 El Monte Los Angeles County $1,736 106,109 $68,030 20 Jurupa Valley Riverside County $1,741 107,011 $97,550 21 Rialto San Bernardino County $1,759 104,143 $88,857 22 Lancaster Los Angeles County $1,764 169,169 $81,511 23 Sacramento Sacramento County $1,779 528,706 $87,321 24 Hawthorne Los Angeles County $1,782 85,191 $75,848 25 Inglewood Los Angeles County $1,787 104,569 $72,750 26 Rancho Cordova Sacramento County $1,787 81,849 $89,585 27 Clovis Fresno County $1,792 124,725 $99,241 28 Palmdale Los Angeles County $1,802 164,634 $81,770 29 Pomona Los Angeles County $1,810 147,943 $79,479 30 Citrus Heights Sacramento County $1,827 86,995 $82,314 31 Bellflower Los Angeles County $1,830 76,819 $78,722 32 Fontana San Bernardino County $1,839 214,169 $102,821 33 El Cajon San Diego County $1,856 104,449 $67,511 34 Long Beach Los Angeles County $1,871 455,548 $87,430 35 Perris Riverside County $1,876 80,511 $88,911 36 Whittier Los Angeles County $1,906 86,165 $97,201 37 Riverside Riverside County $1,914 319,069 $91,045 38 Santa Maria Santa Barbara County $1,925 110,462 $84,746 39 Los Angeles Los Angeles County $1,933 3,857,263 $81,939 40 Downey Los Angeles County $1,937 110,939 $90,699 41 Alhambra Los Angeles County $1,939 81,022 $88,024 42 Carson Los Angeles County $1,956 92,871 $108,703 43 Richmond Contra Costa County $1,960 115,505 $95,391 44 Oakland Alameda County $1,979 439,418 $101,600 45 Salinas Monterey County $1,991 161,761 $91,908 46 Garden Grove Orange County $2,012 170,964 $92,174 47 Mountain View (unincorporated) Contra Costa County $2,018 2,418 $94,046 48 Upland San Bernardino County $2,029 79,257 $105,830 49 Ontario San Bernardino County $2,030 180,547 $88,941 50 Oxnard Ventura County $2,032 200,928 $96,212 51 Escondido San Diego County $2,046 149,668 $91,967 52 Manteca San Joaquin County $2,065 89,043 $97,055 53 Vallejo Solano County $2,073 124,268 $90,171 54 Santa Ana Orange County $2,082 312,534 $93,999 55 Norwalk Los Angeles County $2,090 99,789 $100,085 56 Menifee Riverside County $2,110 110,305 $93,454 57 Berkeley Alameda County $2,133 120,257 $108,092 58 Moreno Valley Riverside County $2,135 211,666 $93,222 59 Roseville Placer County $2,142 155,955 $119,288 60 Santa Rosa Sonoma County $2,152 177,090 $99,060 61 Westminster Orange County $2,168 89,860 $85,541 62 Anaheim Orange County $2,175 344,521 $95,227 63 Glendale Los Angeles County $2,182 190,748 $88,393 64 San Leandro Alameda County $2,186 87,826 $101,420 65 Burbank Los Angeles County $2,192 104,546 $97,082 66 Fullerton Orange County $2,194 140,968 $104,286 67 San Buenaventura (Ventura) Ventura County $2,198 109,857 $103,069 68 Buena Park Orange County $2,206 82,871 $110,550 69 Corona Riverside County $2,228 159,670 $109,242 70 Chula Vista San Diego County $2,229 276,375 $108,032 71 East Palo Alto San Mateo County $2,244 29,069 $113,493 72 West Covina Los Angeles County $2,245 107,037 $101,065 73 Vista San Diego County $2,249 99,114 $94,975 74 Elk Grove Sacramento County $2,262 179,155 $125,924 75 Pittsburg Contra Costa County $2,264 76,257 $99,861 76 Pasadena Los Angeles County $2,265 136,969 $105,192 77 Fairfield Solano County $2,266 120,785 $101,895 78 Concord Contra Costa County $2,274 124,035 $108,709 79 Antioch Contra Costa County $2,278 116,477 $97,465 80 Torrance Los Angeles County $2,280 142,130 $116,217 81 Napa Napa County $2,282 78,239 $105,963 82 Vacaville Solano County $2,299 102,596 $111,126 83 Gilroy Santa Clara County $2,301 59,004 $133,107 84 Oceanside San Diego County $2,303 172,242 $97,737 85 San Diego San Diego County $2,313 1,389,526 $108,077 86 Orange Orange County $2,327 138,266 $117,113 87 Chino San Bernardino County $2,336 92,652 $104,682 88 Temecula Riverside County $2,347 111,167 $121,063 89 Lakewood Los Angeles County $2,347 79,850 $119,177 90 San Marcos San Diego County $2,348 94,882 $109,377 91 Folsom Sacramento County $2,352 83,916 $139,804 92 Rancho Cucamonga San Bernardino County $2,357 175,411 $111,895 93 Murrieta Riverside County $2,388 112,064 $114,081 94 Hayward Alameda County $2,391 158,801 $113,318 95 Santa Monica Los Angeles County $2,402 91,169 $114,885 96 Santa Barbara Santa Barbara County $2,413 87,779 $106,182 97 Half Moon Bay San Mateo County $2,433 11,391 $157,884 98 Costa Mesa Orange County $2,446 110,330 $111,505 99 Tustin Orange County $2,449 78,981 $112,503 100 Alameda Alameda County $2,474 77,238 $137,697 101 Morgan Hill Santa Clara County $2,474 45,425 $163,920 102 San Francisco San Francisco County $2,476 830,235 $140,970 103 Tracy San Joaquin County $2,478 96,966 $121,119 104 Huntington Beach Orange County $2,510 195,240 $120,919 105 Santa Clarita Los Angeles County $2,544 230,221 $123,062 106 Daly City San Mateo County $2,551 101,964 $123,547 107 Brisbane San Mateo County $2,574 4,692 $156,169 108 Simi Valley Ventura County $2,579 125,634 $122,081 109 Thousand Oaks Ventura County $2,664 125,205 $135,603 110 San Jose Santa Clara County $2,669 990,138 $146,427 111 Lake Forest Orange County $2,672 86,281 $135,175 112 Livermore Alameda County $2,677 85,522 $160,775 113 Union City Alameda County $2,713 67,464 $133,715 114 Campbell Santa Clara County $2,737 42,781 $145,268 115 San Bruno San Mateo County $2,773 42,307 $141,272 116 Newark Alameda County $2,776 46,903 $169,064 117 Burlingame San Mateo County $2,785 30,525 $174,000 118 South San Francisco San Mateo County $2,802 64,305 $136,578 119 Carlsbad San Diego County $2,808 114,373 $142,748 120 Mission Viejo Orange County $2,839 92,151 $136,123 121 San Carlos San Mateo County $2,854 29,614 $237,470 122 Belmont San Mateo County $2,875 27,337 $205,297 123 Chino Hills San Bernardino County $2,894 77,927 $126,334 124 Fremont Alameda County $2,933 228,295 $181,506 125 San Ramon Contra Costa County $2,968 85,993 $196,161 126 Redwood City San Mateo County $2,968 82,447 $157,814 127 Irvine Orange County $2,997 311,690 $136,719 128 Santa Clara Santa Clara County $3,016 130,256 $178,958 129 Sunnyvale Santa Clara County $3,039 154,236 $186,170 130 Pleasanton Alameda County $3,060 76,960 $190,124 131 Mountain View Santa Clara County $3,062 83,732 $189,917 132 San Mateo San Mateo County $3,077 103,105 $153,504 133 Pacifica San Mateo County $3,098 37,261 $160,523 134 Milpitas Santa Clara County $3,120 78,578 $178,798 135 Menlo Park San Mateo County $3,239 32,727 $210,025 136 Los Gatos Santa Clara County $3,247 32,786 $217,554 137 Millbrae San Mateo County $3,272 22,689 $163,476 138 Newport Beach Orange County $3,316 83,845 $156,867 139 Palo Alto Santa Clara County $3,484 67,237 $231,101 140 Cupertino Santa Clara County $3,501 58,566 $234,707 141 Foster City San Mateo County $3,501 32,792 $199,143 142 Los Altos Santa Clara County $3,501 30,698 $250,001 143 Saratoga Santa Clara County $3,501 30,319 $250,001 144 Los Altos Hills Santa Clara County $3,501 8,377 $250,001 145 Atherton San Mateo County $3,501 6,993 $250,001
Other rankings for California Largest Cities · Cities With the Highest Household Income · Cities Where Rent Takes the Smallest Share of Income · Cities With the Lowest Unemployment · Cities in the Highest-Paying Counties · Most College-Educated Cities · Cities With the Most Homeowners · Cities With the Most Remote Work · Cities With the Shortest Commutes
Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.