Sierra County, California Housing Market Prices
Sierra County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
-
Median home price 59% below the California median Cheaper than 88% of counties in California$267,567
-
Median rent 76% below the California median Cheapest county in California$496
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Sierra County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $267,567 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 73.0% | 8.9% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $496 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | -4.3% | 5.8% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Sierra County is about 59% lower than in California. Rent is about 76% lower than the California average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2023
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Sierra County: home prices rose about 73.0% a year while rent fell about 4.3% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Sierra County fell about 47.1% between 2015 and 2024, from $938 to $496. Over the same span, rent in California rose about 62.2%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 4.4 yearly household incomes in Sierra County.
Buying the median-priced home in Sierra County costs roughly 44.9 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Sierra County. The price-to-rent ratio in California is about 26.6.
| Metric | Sierra County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $267,567 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $60,956 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 4.4 | 6.6 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2023, the median home price in Sierra County rose about 191.2%, while median household income rose about 3.8% between 2009 and 2025 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Sierra County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 41.5% | 51.7% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 16.0% | 40.8% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 42.5% | 7.5% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 14.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2012 | 2011 | 2011 |
Sierra County has a homeownership rate of 41.5%, lower than the California average of 51.7%. Its housing vacancy rate is 42.5%, compared with 7.5% in California.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Sierra County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.17 people | 2.84 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1995 | 1975 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Sierra County was built around 1995. On average, 2.2 people live in a home with about 4.9 rooms, staying for about 14.0 years on average.
Sierra County, CA Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Sierra County, CA is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 2,746 residents against a local median of 147,571. Sierra County, CA's median rent, at $496, runs 71% below the $1,696 typical of the counties around it.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $267,567 against a local median of $518,930, 48% below it. The counties themselves spread $876 on median rent, so Sierra County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sierra County, CA has the 5th highest median rent of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra County, CA | 2,746 | $267,567 #5/5 | $496 #5/5 | 72.1% #5/5 |
| Nevada County, CA | 102,481 | $584,770 | $1,677 | 75.5% |
| Plumas County, CA | 19,423 | $388,461 | $1,193 | 74.6% |
| Placer County, CA | 418,934 | $676,858 | $2,069 | 74.8% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 192,661 | $453,089 | $1,715 | 77.2% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Sierra County, California.
What is the median home price in Sierra County, California?
The median home price in Sierra County, California is $267,567, lower than the California average of $650,794.
What is the average home price in Sierra County, California?
The typical home price in Sierra County, California, reported as the median sale price, is $267,567. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Sierra County, California?
The median gross rent in Sierra County, California is $496 per month, lower than the California average of $2,036.
What was the median gross rent in Sierra County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Sierra County, California was $1,032 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Sierra County, California?
The price-to-rent ratio in Sierra County, California is about 44.9, meaning it would take roughly 44.9 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Sierra County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Sierra County, California?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Sierra County: home prices rose about 73.0% a year while rent fell about 4.3% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Sierra County, California?
41.5% of households in Sierra County, California own their home, lower than the California average of 51.7%.
What is the vacancy rate in Sierra County, California?
The housing vacancy rate in Sierra County, California is 42.5%, higher than the California average of 7.5%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →