Palmdale, California Housing Market

What moves the numbers in Palmdale?

Palmdale asking prices per square foot were above the year before in 86% of months since the data starts. Within a year, the cheapest and priciest months differ by about 8.8%. That is bigger than the yearly trend, so timing your purchase matters here. Nothing in Palmdale's numbers is far from its own normal. Your return comes from the property and the price you negotiate.

Is now a good time to buy in Palmdale?

The median asking price is 12.7% below its Mar 2024 peak. Per square foot the gap is smaller: 1.5% below the Aug 2025 high. Part of the drop is smaller homes coming to market. Prices stopped falling about a year ago. They are flat now. Waiting will not get you a cheaper house. It might still get you a more motivated seller. Palmdale prices have risen in 96 of the last 112 months. Drops here have been short and shallow. Buying in a slow month has rarely hurt a long hold.

This market is turning. Which way is not settled yet. Check the monthly numbers above before you commit.

What is the fair market rent in Palmdale?

HUD sets one fair market rent for Los Angeles County. For fiscal year 2026:

• 1 bedroom: $2,085 a month. Up 0% on last year, up 81% since FY2016.
• 2 bedrooms: $2,601 a month. Down 1% on last year, up 75% since FY2016.
• 3 bedrooms: $3,298 a month. Down 1% on last year, up 64% since FY2016.
• 4 bedrooms: $3,672 a month. Down 1% on last year, up 65% since FY2016.

The figures include tenant-paid utilities and apply to all of Los Angeles County, so one home's rent can sit well above or below them. See fair market rent by city.

How does Palmdale compare with other California markets?

Ranked among the 141 California markets we track:

• Asking price: 27th cheapest of 141. Palmdale is at $512,112. Closest: Indio and Clovis.
• Buyer competition: 48th most competitive of 138. Palmdale is at 0.40 buyers per home. Closest: Sacramento and Santa Cruz.
• Time on market: 24th longest time on market of 141. Palmdale is at a median of 62 days on market. Closest: Lancaster and Chino Hills.
• Price cuts: 33rd fewest price cuts of 141. Palmdale is at 16% of sellers cutting. Closest: Oxnard and Glendale.

How much can you negotiate in Palmdale?

For every 100 homes still for sale, 40 are under contract. In 2017–2019 at this time of year it was 78. The rest are still waiting for a buyer. Few sellers are dropping their price. Asking prices are holding firm. Your discount will come from one stale listing.

Palmdale listings spend a median 62 days on the market. There are 480 homes for sale in Palmdale. That is 4.2 times the tightest month on record, but below the peak of 647. Supply is growing against last year.

What to do about it

• Judge each listing on its own.
• Homes listed 90+ days ago with a price cut are where your discount is.
• Fresh, well-priced homes will not move on price. Do not waste offers on them.

What numbers should you underwrite a Palmdale deal with?

• Price growth to assume — +1.9%/yr. Palmdale grew 6.2% a year over the decade. Ignore that rate. Most of it landed in the 2020 and 2021 boom. Without the boom, Palmdale grows about 1.9% a year. That is the number to type in. Prices rose 0.5% over the last year. Use it for timing. The five-year rate is the better guide.
• Odds you cut your price to sell — 1 in 6. 16% of Palmdale listings have cut their asking price. Underwrite your exit below asking.
• Competition when you exit — +13%. Homes for sale in Palmdale are up 13% on last year, so your resale faces more competition than today's comps did.

Read how rent-to-price works and how we read these numbers, then run the numbers on a deal.

What is the median home price in Palmdale?

The median asking price in Palmdale is about $512,000 as of Oct 2026, down 9.4% from a year ago. The typical listing is 6% smaller than a year ago, and asking price per square foot is up 0.5%. So the size of homes on the market explains much of the drop. This is the asking price on homes listed for sale. Sites that report sold prices or estimated home values will show a different number. Our Palmdale figures cover the 6 ZIP codes with a Palmdale mailing address, which can reach past city limits.

Is Palmdale a buyer's or seller's market in 2026?

Neither side has the upper hand in Palmdale right now. We compare Palmdale with 2017–2019 at this time of year: there are 40 pending sales per 100 listings, against 78 then; listings spend 32% more days on the market; there are 3% fewer homes for sale.

Are Palmdale home prices going up or down?

The median asking price is 12.7% below its Mar 2024 peak. Per square foot the gap is smaller: 1.5% below the Aug 2025 high. Part of the drop is smaller homes coming to market. Prices stopped falling about a year ago. They are flat now. Waiting will not get you a cheaper house. It might still get you a more motivated seller.

What is the best month to buy a house in Palmdale?

Across 9 full years, Palmdale asking prices ran lowest in January, about 5.3% below the year's average. They peaked in October. The most homes for sale show up in October, about 12% above the yearly average.

What price growth should I assume for Palmdale?

Assume +1.9% a year. Palmdale grew 6.2% a year over the decade. Ignore that rate. Most of it landed in the 2020 and 2021 boom. Without the boom, Palmdale grows about 1.9% a year. That is the number to type in. Prices rose 0.5% over the last year. Use it for timing. The five-year rate is the better guide.

What is the fair market rent in Palmdale?

HUD's fiscal year 2026 fair market rent for Los Angeles County is $2,601 a month for 2 bedrooms and $3,298 for 3 bedrooms. The figures include tenant-paid utilities and cover the whole county.