California, PA housing market
The typical California home is worth about $120,000, down 5.6% in a year, 59% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
Home values, sales, trends and how California compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
California at a glance
Only 3 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value above is the steadier guide.
Typical home value, 2024–2026
Show as a table
| January | California | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $131,000 | $268,000 |
| 2025 | $136,000 | $280,000 |
| 2026 | $124,000 | $287,000 |
| August 2026 | $120,000 | $290,000 |
3 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in California in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.1 million to build. That's 0.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Pennsylvania (2). Over the past 10 years, California has permitted 16 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, California's population fell by 1,433 even though 66 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Pennsylvania: 1.4 new residents per new home.
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 censuses. New homes: permits issued 2010–2019.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $334,000 |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $597,000 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $405,000 |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $724,000 |
| 2016 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $172,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 39 | 29 | 10 | $3.7 million |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $78,000 |
| 2010 | 15 | 7 | 8 | $1.4 million |
| 2009 | 9 | 2 | 7 | $580,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $66,000 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $66,000 |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $265,000 |
| 2005 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $160,000 |
| 2004 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $468,000 |
| 2003 | 97 | 4 | 93 | $7.8 million |
| 2002 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $317,000 |
| 2001 | 43 | 3 | 40 | $4 million |
| 2000 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $989,000 |
How California ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, through August 2026.
California and its neighbors
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $120K | −5.6% | $1,140 | 3 | $48,606 |
| West Pike Run | — | — | $1,170 | 0 | $76,563 |
| West Brownsville | — | — | $980 | 0 | $64,449 |
| Centerville | $181K | +2.9% | $1,030 | 5 | $71,250 |
| Coal Center | $158K | +1.8% | $1,180 | 0 | $41,250 |
| Newell | — | — | $1,210 | — | $49,750 |
| Long Branch | — | — | $1,180 | 0 | $75,000 |
2.5 years of income
The typical California home costs about 2.5 years of the town's median household income, less than across Pennsylvania (3.7 years).
How California ranks on affordability →
Home value ÷ ACS median household income.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,140
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in California is $1,140 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in California pay a median of $806, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put. A two-bedroom takes about 28% of the town's median household income.
Studio $880 · 4 bedrooms $1,570
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (15417, 15419, 15423, 15427; Pittsburgh, PA HUD Metro FMR Area), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Recent listings in California
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, August 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers.