Sacramento, California Housing Market

What stands out in Sacramento?

• Asking price per square foot has moved -0.0% a year over five years: among the weakest five-year price growth of 765 tracked cities. Appreciation has been weak, so buy for cash flow.

How deep is Sacramento's renter pool?

48% of occupied homes in Sacramento's ZIP codes are rented, more than in 86% of the cities we track. HUD's county-wide fair market rent for 2 bedrooms is $2,255 a month, including utilities. A deep renter pool shortens vacancy. It also means you compete with other landlords on condition and price.

Who will rent from you in Sacramento?

In Sacramento, 48 out of every 100 households rent. That is nearly half. The renter share is shrinking. Five years ago it was 52 in 100. Sacramento lost about 2,300 renter households in five years. Renter households here average 2.5 people. Families rent here. Buy bedrooms. Studios will sit.

Households grew 6% in five years. The housing stock grew 5%. The two are moving in step. Just 5.3% of homes sit empty. A well-priced rental fills fast here.

The median Sacramento household earns $84,932 a year. Incomes here have grown 6.7% a year since 2019. Incomes are rising faster than home prices. Affordability is improving. A typical home costs 5.8 times the median income. Most locals cannot buy. That keeps rental demand deep. It also caps the rent they can pay. At 30% of income, a tenant on the median income can pay about $2,123 a month.

To see what one Sacramento address would rent for and cash flow, run it through the app.

What is the fair market rent in Sacramento?

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

• 1 bedroom: $1,832 a month. Up 3% on last year, up 125% since FY2016.
• 2 bedrooms: $2,255 a month. Up 2% on last year, up 120% since FY2016.
• 3 bedrooms: $3,002 a month. Up 0% on last year, up 101% since FY2016.
• 4 bedrooms: $3,460 a month. Up 0% on last year, up 93% since FY2016.

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

How does Sacramento compare with other California markets?

Ranked among the 141 California markets we track:

• Asking price: 19th cheapest of 141. Sacramento is at $490,657. Closest: Apple Valley and San Jacinto.
• Buyer competition: 46th most competitive of 138. Sacramento is at 0.45 buyers per home. Closest: Lodi and Oxnard.
• Time on market: 59th shortest time on market of 141. Sacramento is at a median of 48 days on market. Closest: Santa Rosa and Santa Monica.
• Price cuts: 27th most price cuts of 141. Sacramento is at 23% of sellers cutting. Closest: San Ramon and Santa Cruz.

Is now a good time to buy in Sacramento?

The median asking price is 8.0% below its Jun 2023 peak. You are not buying at the top. 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. Sacramento prices have risen in 80 of the last 111 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 numbers should you underwrite a Sacramento deal with?

• Price growth to assume — 0.0%/yr. Sacramento grew 4.9% a year over the decade. Ignore that rate. Most of it landed in the 2020 and 2021 boom. Without the boom, Sacramento prices are flat. Assume no growth. Prices fell 0.6% over the last year. Use it for timing. The five-year rate is the better guide.
• Competition when you exit — +9%. Homes for sale in Sacramento are up 9% on last year, so your resale faces more competition than today's comps did.

Read whether a market fits Section 8 tenants and how we read these numbers, then run the numbers on a deal.

What is the median home price in Sacramento?

The median asking price in Sacramento is about $491,000 as of Sep 2026, about the same as a year ago. 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 Sacramento figures cover the 40 ZIP codes with a Sacramento mailing address, which can reach past city limits.

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

Neither side has the upper hand in Sacramento right now. We compare Sacramento with 2017–2019 at this time of year: there are 45 pending sales per 100 listings, against 81 then; the typical listing has been up 30% more days; there are 7% fewer homes for sale.

Are Sacramento home prices going up or down?

The median asking price is 8.0% below its Jun 2023 peak. You are not buying at the top. 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.

Which Sacramento ZIP code has the most negotiating room?

95814. Only 30 homes under contract for every 100 still for sale. 28% of sellers there have cut their price, and the typical listing has been up 104 days.

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

Across 9 full years, Sacramento asking prices ran lowest in January, about 5.0% below the year's average. They peaked in June. The most homes for sale show up in October, about 22% above the yearly average.

What is the fair market rent in Sacramento?

HUD's fiscal year 2026 fair market rent for Sacramento County is $2,255 a month for 2 bedrooms and $3,002 for 3 bedrooms. The figures include tenant-paid utilities and cover the whole county.