A home in San Mateo County sells for a median of $1,494,500, roughly 7.0 times the $212,000 median in Modoc County. Both counties sit inside California, but they describe two different housing markets. Across all 58 counties in the state, the median home value is $453,950, compared with $172,300 nationally. Median gross rent statewide runs $1,528 a month, and a typical county reports 37.0% of households spending at least 30% of income on housing.
Median home values climb past statewide norms in a handful of counties. The five priciest, ranked by median value of owner-occupied housing units:
San Mateo County, California carries a median value of $1,494,500, more than 3.3 times the statewide median.
Lower prices cluster in a different group of counties. The five cheapest by median home value:
At the other end of the market, Modoc County, California posts a median home value of $212,000. Owner-occupied housing there reaches 77.3%, and the median household income is $56,648.
Ownership prices and rent prices do not always move together. The counties with the highest median gross rent:
Statewide, the median gross rent is $1,528, compared with $848 nationally.
Cost burden, the share of households paying at least 30% of income for housing, is a better read on strain than sticker price. In Los Angeles County, California, 45.3% of households cross that threshold. The statewide median sits at 37.0%, compared with 23.0% nationally. Counties with the highest share of cost-burdened households:
Median owner-occupied rate statewide is 63.1%. The counties with the highest ownership share:
Monthly ownership costs track closely with home values but add a layer of lived experience. A typical homeowner with a mortgage in Marin County, California pays $4,001 per month, while in Modoc County, California that figure is $1,442. For owners without a mortgage, the statewide picture is different again, reflecting property taxes, insurance, and utilities rather than principal and interest.
Incomes do not keep pace with price in the most expensive counties. In San Mateo County, California the median household income is $156,000, which means the median home costs roughly 9.6 times annual household income. In Modoc County, California, with a median household income of $56,648, the same ratio is about 3.7. The ratio is a crude gauge, but it highlights how purchasing power varies across California.
Housing affordability in California cannot be reduced to a single number. The gap of $1,282,500 between the most and least expensive counties shapes where people can live, buy, and build equity. Rent, mortgage payments, cost burden, and ownership rates each draw a slightly different map of the state. For residents, employers, and policymakers, the county scale is where the tradeoffs become visible.
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates