Counties in California by median gross rent (monthly)
San Mateo County had the highest median gross rent (monthly) of 57 counties in 2021, at $2,599. Modoc County had the lowest, at $748. The median was $1,228 and the figure for California was $1,698. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.
Monthly gross rent of renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent, at the middle of the distribution, in US dollars of the last year of the period. Gross rent is the contract rent plus the estimated cost of utilities and fuels paid by the renter. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.
A median, not an average, of what all renters pay, including long-standing leases, so it is lower than asking rents for new listings. Medians outside the published range are coded 99 (under 100) or 3,501 (3,500 or more) and marked as estimated.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25064: median gross rent (dollars), renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25064.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank Counties in California by median gross rent (monthly) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"median_gross_rent","level":"province","within":"California","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=median_gross_rent&level=province&within=California&limit=10
Which county has the highest median gross rent (monthly)?
San Mateo County, with $2,599 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Which county has the lowest median gross rent (monthly)?
Modoc County, with $748 in 2021.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25064: median gross rent (dollars), renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
