Most affordable towns in California
Ranked by how many years of a typical CA household income ($99,122) it takes to buy each town's median home. Lower is easier to buy in. 835 towns with 2,500+ residents.
Stockton ranks #236 of 835
4.4 yrs of a typical CA income buys a typical home · Visit Stockton →
2
Desert Edge
0.8 yrs
$76,300 median home
3
Lake Isabella
1.3 yrs
$132,900 median home
How this ranking works
We divide each town’s median home value by the CA median household income ($99,122). The result is how many years of a typical paycheck it takes to buy a typical home there. Lower is more affordable. Across California as a whole it’s 7.4 years.
Why not each town’s own income? That would rank wealthy towns with half-million-dollar homes as “affordable” only because their residents earn so much. One shared income answers the question people actually ask: where could a typical family afford to live?
Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.
















































































































































































































































































































