California residential property - statistics & facts

California is home to one of the biggest residential real estate markets in the United States. As a state that is famous for sunny weather, breathtaking natural surroundings, and a thriving economy, there is a high level of demand for housing; especially in the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. In fact, two Californian cities - San Francisco and San Jose - were among the cities where homes sold the fastest in the United States. However, California is also home to some of the most expensive housing markets in the world. Over of one third of active listings had a listing price of over one million U.S. dollars in March 2022.

Focus on San Francisco

San Francisco is nothing if not a city with character. For many it is still considered the capital of the counterculture movement of the 1960s as well as the LGBT capital of the United States. However, in recent years the iconic city has gained a reputation for being prohibitively expensive. Since 2000, house prices in the city increased more than threefold. Much of this increase can be attributed to the increase in housing demand with the explosive economic growth of Silicon Valley combined with the limited amount of physical space on the peninsula where San Francisco is located. The volume of homes sold in San Francisco has decreased from over 6,000 in 2015 to approximately 5,200 in 2020. If one prefers to rent an apartment in the San Francisco Bay Area, the median rent in cities such as Berkeley, Redwood City, and Mountain View can exceed 2,500 U.S. dollars per month.

The housing market in Los Angeles

Unlike San Francisco, which is constrained by the peninsula it is located on, Los Angeles is an enormous sprawling metropolitan area, consisting of Los Angeles proper and dozens of smaller cities blending into one another and spreading out across the desert of Southern California. The volume of homes sold in Los Angeles decreased from 81,900 to 71,300 between 2015 and 2020. While Los Angeles is not the most expensive Californian county, the sales price of existing housing was more expensive than many other counties.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, May 2, 2022

Key insights

Number of home sales in California
439.2k
Sales to list price for single family homes in S.F. Bay area
112.2%
Average number of days it takes to sell a house in San Jose, CA
21
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Average monthly apartment rent in the United States from 2020 to 2022, by state (in U.S. dollars)

Apartments

Apartment rent in the United States in 2020-2022, by state

Average apartment rent in California from January 2017 to September 2021, by apartment size (in U.S. dollars)

Apartments

Average apartment rent in California 2017-2021, by apartment size

Volume of homes sold in California from 2005 to 2020, by region (in 1,000s)

Residential Real Estate

Number of homes sold in California 2005-2020, by region

Related topics

Recommended

5

Recommended statistics

House prices

7

House prices

Housing market

5

Housing market

Rental market

7

Rental market

Luxury real estate

5

Luxury real estate

Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Housing market in the United States
Housing market in the United States
Residential real estate in New York
Residential real estate in New York
Millennials homeownership in the United States
Millennials homeownership in the United States
Luxury residential real estate in North America
Luxury residential real estate in North America
LGBT homeownership in the United States
LGBT homeownership in the United States

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Meredith Alda
Meredith Alda
Sales Manager– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
support.japan@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Group Director - LATAM– Contact (Latin America)
Email
latam@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu