Cities in California by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)

Desert Hot Springs, CA had the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) of 376 cities in 2021, at 72.4%. Hillsborough, CA had the lowest, at 7.8%. The median was 54.9% and the figure for California was 54.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest72.4Desert Hot Springs, CA

Lowest7.8Hillsborough, CA

Median54.9376 cities

California54.2History

Top 40 cities, 2021

%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2021 (%)
1	Desert Hot Springs, CA	72.4
2	San Fernando, CA	70.9
3	Fountain Valley, CA	70
4	Solana Beach, CA	68.9
5	Laguna Woods, CA	68.3
6	La Palma, CA	67.5
7	Banning, CA	67.3
8	Soledad, CA	67.3
8	South El Monte, CA	67.3
10	El Cajon, CA	67
11	McFarland, CA	66.8
12	Arcata, CA	66.7
13	Calabasas, CA	66.4
14	Wasco, CA	66.3
15	La Mirada, CA	66.2
16	Cathedral City, CA	66.1
17	Seaside, CA	66
18	San Luis Obispo, CA	65.9
19	Coachella, CA	65.9
20	Santa Fe Springs, CA	65.6
21	Rancho Mirage, CA	65.4
22	Lindsay, CA	65
23	Westminster, CA	65
24	Lake Elsinore, CA	64.7
25	Simi Valley, CA	64.4
26	California City, CA	64.4
27	Grass Valley, CA	64.3
28	Cudahy, CA	64.2
29	Santa Clarita, CA	64
30	Antioch, CA	64
31	Montclair, CA	63.9
32	Davis, CA	63.4
33	Sonoma, CA	63.3
34	Escondido, CA	63.3
35	Eureka, CA	63
36	Oroville, CA	62.8
37	Moreno Valley, CA	62.8
38	Bell, CA	62.8
39	Arvin, CA	62.5
39	San Marcos, CA	62.5
41	Hemet, CA	62.5
42	Truckee, CA	62.4
43	Victorville, CA	62.3
44	Clayton, CA	61.9
45	Moorpark, CA	61.9
46	Tustin, CA	61.8
47	Pittsburg, CA	61.7
48	Glendale, CA	61.5
49	Chino Hills, CA	61.5
50	Oceanside, CA	61.5
51	Fillmore, CA	61.3
52	Calimesa, CA	61.2
53	Carpinteria, CA	61.2
54	King City, CA	61.1
55	Laguna Hills, CA	61.1
55	San Bernardino, CA	61.1
57	San Jacinto, CA	60.9
58	Hesperia, CA	60.8
59	Bell Gardens, CA	60.8
60	Diamond Bar, CA	60.6
61	Anaheim, CA	60.6
62	Compton, CA	60.6
63	Imperial Beach, CA	60.5
64	Palm Springs, CA	60.5
65	Stanton, CA	60.4
66	Fullerton, CA	60.4
67	Indio, CA	60.4
68	Anderson, CA	60.3
69	Duarte, CA	60.2
70	San Dimas, CA	60.2
71	Novato, CA	60.1
72	Rohnert Park, CA	60.1
73	Lake Forest, CA	60.1
74	Calexico, CA	60
75	Ontario, CA	60
76	Pomona, CA	59.9
77	National City, CA	59.9
78	Palmdale, CA	59.9
79	Lincoln, CA	59.8
80	Loma Linda, CA	59.8
80	San Pablo, CA	59.8
82	Parlier, CA	59.8
83	El Monte, CA	59.8
84	Colton, CA	59.6
85	Whittier, CA	59.5
86	Windsor, CA	59.4
87	Lynwood, CA	59.4
88	Pico Rivera, CA	59.3
89	Clearlake, CA	59.3
90	Yucca Valley, CA	59.2
91	Lancaster, CA	59.2
92	La Mesa, CA	59.2
93	Commerce, CA	59.1
94	Apple Valley, CA	59
95	Port Hueneme, CA	58.9
96	Concord, CA	58.9
97	Inglewood, CA	58.8
98	La Cañada Flintridge, CA	58.8
99	Lemon Grove, CA	58.7
100	Monterey Park, CA	58.7
101	Claremont, CA	58.7
101	Los Angeles, CA	58.7
103	Camarillo, CA	58.6
104	Paramount, CA	58.5
105	Garden Grove, CA	58.5
106	San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA	58.5
107	Chico, CA	58.5
107	Watsonville, CA	58.5
109	Burbank, CA	58.4
110	Chula Vista, CA	58.4
111	Scotts Valley, CA	58.4
112	Oxnard, CA	58.3
112	Thousand Oaks, CA	58.3
114	Rosemead, CA	58.3
115	Petaluma, CA	58.2
116	Perris, CA	58.2
117	Paradise, CA	58
117	Temple City, CA	58
119	Palm Desert, CA	57.9
120	Downey, CA	57.8
121	Menifee, CA	57.8
122	Laguna Niguel, CA	57.7
123	Corona, CA	57.7
124	Stockton, CA	57.6
125	Porterville, CA	57.6
126	Red Bluff, CA	57.5
127	Hawthorne, CA	57.5
128	Chino, CA	57.5
129	Fresno, CA	57.5
130	Los Alamitos, CA	57.5
131	Murrieta, CA	57.4
132	Fairfield, CA	57.4
133	Exeter, CA	57.4
134	Montebello, CA	57.3
135	Marysville, CA	57.3
136	Coronado, CA	57.1
136	Daly City, CA	57.1
138	Aliso Viejo, CA	57.1
139	Mission Viejo, CA	57.1
140	Buena Park, CA	57.1
141	Vista, CA	57.1
142	Bellflower, CA	57
143	Arcadia, CA	56.9
143	Jurupa Valley, CA	56.9
145	Lompoc, CA	56.9
146	Fortuna, CA	56.9
147	La Verne, CA	56.9
148	Highland, CA	56.9
148	Lawndale, CA	56.9
150	Auburn, CA	56.8
150	Santa Paula, CA	56.8
152	Hawaiian Gardens, CA	56.8
152	Maywood, CA	56.8
154	Vallejo, CA	56.7
155	Baldwin Park, CA	56.6
156	Ukiah, CA	56.6
157	Riverside, CA	56.6
158	Beverly Hills, CA	56.5
159	Richmond, CA	56.5
160	Temecula, CA	56.4
161	Pacific Grove, CA	56.4
162	Benicia, CA	56.4
163	Santa Cruz, CA	56.4
164	Santa Maria, CA	56.2
165	South Gate, CA	56.2
166	El Centro, CA	56.2
167	Pinole, CA	56.2
168	Norwalk, CA	56.2
168	Vacaville, CA	56.2
170	Arroyo Grande, CA	56.1
170	Azusa, CA	56.1
172	Napa, CA	56
173	Shasta Lake, CA	56
174	Gardena, CA	55.9
175	Moraga, CA	55.8
176	Citrus Heights, CA	55.8
177	Santa Ana, CA	55.6
178	Reedley, CA	55.5
179	Morro Bay, CA	55.5
180	Wildomar, CA	55.5
181	Santa Barbara, CA	55.5
182	Long Beach, CA	55.4
182	Salinas, CA	55.4
184	Rialto, CA	55.3
185	Shafter, CA	55.3
186	Elk Grove, CA	55.1
187	Huntington Park, CA	55
188	Santee, CA	54.9
189	Yorba Linda, CA	54.9
190	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	54.9
191	Dana Point, CA	54.6
191	Placentia, CA	54.6
193	Hollister, CA	54.5
194	Brentwood, CA	54.5
195	Monterey, CA	54.5
196	Berkeley, CA	54.4
197	Turlock, CA	54.2
198	Lathrop, CA	54.2
199	San Rafael, CA	54.1
199	Santa Rosa, CA	54.1
201	Modesto, CA	54
202	Covina, CA	54
203	Madera, CA	53.9
204	San Diego, CA	53.9
205	Culver City, CA	53.9
206	Alhambra, CA	53.8
207	San Anselmo, CA	53.7
208	Merced, CA	53.6
209	El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CA	53.6
210	San Gabriel, CA	53.4
211	Manteca, CA	53.3
212	South San Francisco, CA	53.2
213	Cypress, CA	53.2
214	Rocklin, CA	53.2
215	South Lake Tahoe, CA	53.1
216	Avenal, CA	53.1
217	Farmersville, CA	53.1
218	Upland, CA	53
219	La Quinta, CA	53
219	West Covina, CA	53
221	East Palo Alto, CA	53
222	Sacramento, CA	52.9
223	Marina, CA	52.9
224	Signal Hill, CA	52.8
225	Artesia, CA	52.7
226	Brea, CA	52.6
226	Rancho Santa Margarita, CA	52.6
228	Carlsbad, CA	52.6
229	Placerville, CA	52.6
229	Walnut, CA	52.6
231	Carson, CA	52.6
232	Sierra Madre, CA	52.5
233	Bakersfield, CA	52.5
234	Fontana, CA	52.4
235	Roseville, CA	52.4
236	La Puente, CA	52.3
237	Orange, CA	52.3
238	Livermore, CA	52.2
239	Oakley, CA	52.2
240	Ceres, CA	52.1
241	San Juan Capistrano, CA	52.1
242	Selma, CA	52.1
243	San Clemente, CA	52.1
244	Gilroy, CA	52
245	Mendota, CA	52
246	Irvine, CA	51.9
247	Tulare, CA	51.8
248	San Leandro, CA	51.8
249	Glendora, CA	51.6
250	Lakewood, CA	51.5

Showing the top 250 of 376. The Excel download has every row.

Other periods

2024
2023
2022
2021

About this ranking

Renter households whose gross rent (contract rent plus utilities and fuels the renter pays) was 30 percent or more of household income in the past 12 months, as a percentage of renter households for which that ratio can be computed. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Renters who pay no cash rent and households with no or negative income are left out of both the count and the base. 30 percent is the usual US threshold for rent burden. The EU housing cost overburden rate (housing_cost_overburden_rate) uses 40 percent of disposable income, all housing costs and people instead of households, so the two cannot be compared.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in California by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in California by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/california-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in California by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/california-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in California by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/california-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_california_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in California by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/california-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in California by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/california-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/california-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank Cities in California by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"rent_burden_30_plus_share","level":"municipality","within":"California","limit":10}
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Questions

Which city has the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Desert Hot Springs, CA, with 72.4% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Hillsborough, CA, with 7.8% 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 B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.