California

Home prices in California and Los Angeles: median value and trend

Median owner-occupied home value: $759,500 in California and $947,900 in Los Angeles (Census ACS 2024). FHFA: California prices down 0.2% in a year.

Checked on against the official sources listed at the bottom of the page.

In short

The median value of owner-occupied homes is $759,500 in California and $947,900 in the city of Los Angeles, against $360,600 nationwide (Census ACS 2024). On the FHFA index, California prices down 0.2% and Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale prices flat (+0.0%) from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026.

What it costs: median value in 2024

AreaMedian value, 2024Margin of error (90%)
United States$360,600±$618
California$759,500±$3,644
Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metro area$908,500±$4,270
Los Angeles County$866,500±$4,947
City of Los Angeles$947,900±$10,150

Source: Census ACS 2024, table B25077; owners’ own estimates, not sale prices.

Three points stand out:

  • The California median is $398,900 above the national median, a little more than twice the U.S. figure.
  • The city of Los Angeles sits $188,400 above the California median, $81,400 above Los Angeles County and $39,400 above the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metro median.
  • The margin of error for the city (±$10,150) is wider than for the state, because the sample is smaller. The true city median is very likely between about $937,800 and $958,100.

How prices have moved: the FHFA index

It is also the first release with purchase-only indexes for metro divisions such as Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale.

Area1-year change (Q2 2025 to Q2 2026)5-year change (Q2 2021 to Q2 2026)
United States+2.1%+33.4%
California−0.2%+17.3%
Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale metro division+0.0%+19.5%

Source: FHFA HPI, purchase-only, Q2 2026 (release of August 25, 2026); changes by Payotte.

FHFA’s release says prices fell in only four states over the year; California is one of them, with a small drop of 0.2%. The release also notes that the Pacific division had the slowest appreciation of the nine census divisions, “slightly above 0.0 percent”. Over five years, California and Los Angeles gained less than a fifth in value, well below the nation’s 33.4%.

A worked example

Take a Los Angeles-area home worth $950,000 in the second quarter of 2021. Tracking the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale index exactly, it would have been worth about $1,136,000 in the second quarter of 2026 (+19.5%). Almost all of that gain came before 2025: over the last year alone, the index rose by less than 0.02%, or under $200 on this home. A single home can differ widely from the index.

How to use these figures when buying

Closing costs come on top: our California closing costs guide covers who pays what, and buying a home in Los Angeles applies these numbers to the city. Property tax is based on the purchase price; see property tax in California. First-time buyers can also check the California first-time buyer programs.

Method and dataset

ACS median value. ACS 1-Year 2024, table B25077. Geographies: United States (0100000US), California (0400000US06), Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metro area (310M700US31080), Los Angeles County (0500000US06037), Los Angeles city (1600000US0644000). Read through the data.census.gov API on October 13, 2026. The definition of value comes from the ACS 2024 Subject Definitions.

FHFA index. FHFA HPI (purchase-only, seasonally adjusted), state series (California), metro series (Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale, CA metro division, code 31084) and U.S. series. Index values used: California 418.00 (Q2 2025), 355.60 (Q2 2021) and 417.15 (Q2 2026); Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale 446.18, 373.28 and 446.25; United States 426.58, 326.58 and 435.69.

The ACS metro area (Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim) and the FHFA metro division (Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale) are not the same geography: the division is a part of the larger metro area.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median home value in California?

California’s 2024 ACS median home value is $759,500 (±$3,644), against $360,600 for the nation: owners’ own estimates, not sale prices.

What is the median home value in Los Angeles?

For the city of Los Angeles, the 2024 ACS median value is $947,900 (±$10,150). Los Angeles County is at $866,500 and the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metro area at $908,500.

Are California home prices going up or down?

FHFA’s purchase-only index shows California prices fell 0.2% over the year to Q2 2026, and the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale area was flat (+0.0%). Over five years, they rose 17.3% and 19.5%.

How California compares with the other States

At $759,500, California ranks 2nd of the 50 States for median home value, in the top ten and 111% above the national $360,600.

The States closest in median value are Hawaii ($875,900) and Massachusetts ($607,400). The range runs from $170,800 in West Virginia to $875,900 in Hawaii; California is $420,000 above the middle of that ranking (Wyoming).

On the FHFA index, California prices fell 0.2% over the year to the second quarter of 2026, which places the State 47th of 50, 2.3 points behind the national +2.1%. Over five years the gain is +17.3% (47th of 50; nation +33.4%).

The two measures diverge: California is among the dearest States, yet its prices rose less than most over the past year.

Over five years, California's +17.3% annualises to +3.2% a year (nation +5.9%). The latest year (-0.2%) is 3.4 points under that average, a slower pace than the five-year average.

Los Angeles, the main city, has a median of $947,900, 2nd of the 49 main cities Payotte covers. That is 25% above the California median, a premium that ranks 13th of 49.

The one-year FHFA change runs from -1.2% in New Mexico to +8.3% in Alaska. California (-0.2%) is 8.5 points below the top and 1 above the bottom; Colorado (-0.5%) and Oregon (+0.3%) are the nearest to it.

For scale, 20% of the California median is $151,900, against $72,120 at the national median.

Compare with the other states: Median home price by state.

More California guides

Sources

California · All states · Federal guides