Santa Clarita, California Housing Market

What stands out in Santa Clarita?

• 2.3% of homes are vacant: among the lowest vacancy of 765 tracked cities. Empty homes are scarce, so well-priced rentals fill.
• 16% of occupied homes are rented: among the lowest renter shares of 765 tracked cities. Most residents own, so the tenant pool is thin. Your exit buyer may be an owner-occupant.
• The median household earns $143,854 a year: among the highest incomes of 765 tracked cities. Tenants can carry higher rents.

Is housing keeping up with Santa Clarita's growth?

The population in Santa Clarita's ZIP codes grew 14.3% over five years, faster than 92% of the cities we track. Households (+16.0%) grew faster than housing (+14.2%). Demand is outrunning supply. Homes for sale are 0% above 2017–2019 at this time of year.

Is now a good time to buy in Santa Clarita?

The median asking price is 10.1% below its Dec 2021 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. Santa Clarita prices rose in only 74 of the last 111 months. This market goes up and down. Timing matters here. Growth will not rescue a bad price.

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

Who will rent from you in Santa Clarita?

Only 16 out of every 100 Santa Clarita households rent. This is an owners' town. The renter share is growing. Five years ago it was 13 in 100. Santa Clarita added about 900 renter households in five years. Renter households here average 2.9 people. Families rent here. Buy bedrooms. Studios will sit.

The median Santa Clarita household earns $143,854 a year. Incomes here have grown 3.9% a year since 2019. Incomes are rising faster than home prices. Affordability is improving. A typical home costs 5.9 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 $3,596 a month.

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

How does Santa Clarita compare with other California markets?

Ranked among the 141 California markets we track:

• Asking price: 58th priciest of 141. Santa Clarita is at $848,181. Closest: Hayward and Rancho Cucamonga.
• Buyer competition: 44th most competitive of 138. Santa Clarita is at 0.45 buyers per home. Closest: Rancho Cucamonga and Lodi.
• Time on market: 32nd longest time on market of 141. Santa Clarita is at a median of 58 days on market. Closest: Murrieta and Chino Hills.
• Price cuts: 55th most price cuts of 141. Santa Clarita is at 20% of sellers cutting. Closest: Los Gatos and Ontario.

What is the fair market rent in Santa Clarita?

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.

What numbers should you underwrite a Santa Clarita deal with?

• Price growth to assume — +1.3%/yr. Santa Clarita grew 4.6% a year over the decade. Ignore that rate. Most of it landed in the 2020 and 2021 boom. Without the boom, Santa Clarita grows about 1.3% a year. That is the number to type in. Prices fell 1.2% 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 Santa Clarita are down 9% on last year, so your resale faces less competition than today's comps did.

Read how population change affects rentals and how we read these numbers, then run the numbers on a deal.

What is the median home price in Santa Clarita?

The median asking price in Santa Clarita is about $848,000 as of Sep 2026, down 4.1% from 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 Santa Clarita figures cover the 5 ZIP codes with a Santa Clarita mailing address, which can reach past city limits.

Is Santa Clarita a buyer's or seller's market in 2026?

Neither side has the upper hand in Santa Clarita right now. We compare Santa Clarita with 2017–2019 at this time of year: there are 45 pending sales per 100 listings, against 70 then; the typical listing has been up 23% more days; 20% of sellers have cut their price, against 23% then.

Are Santa Clarita home prices going up or down?

The median asking price is 10.1% below its Dec 2021 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.

What is the best month to buy a house in Santa Clarita?

Across 9 full years, Santa Clarita asking prices ran lowest in February, about 2.5% below the year's average. They peaked in December. The most homes for sale show up in August, about 20% above the yearly average.

Are there more homes for sale in Santa Clarita than before the pandemic?

About the same. There are 172 homes for sale, 0% more than in 2017–2019 at this time of year.

What is the fair market rent in Santa Clarita?

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.