{"area":{"county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","stateName":"California","slug":"los-angeles-ca","metro":"Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area"},"homeValue":{"series":[{"date":"2021-04-01","value":767207},{"date":"2021-07-01","value":802595},{"date":"2021-10-01","value":830519},{"date":"2022-01-01","value":855575},{"date":"2022-04-01","value":869893},{"date":"2022-07-01","value":843840},{"date":"2022-10-01","value":832715},{"date":"2023-01-01","value":832044},{"date":"2023-04-01","value":856572},{"date":"2023-07-01","value":881628},{"date":"2023-10-01","value":888116},{"date":"2024-01-01","value":900807},{"date":"2024-04-01","value":906949},{"date":"2024-07-01","value":912318},{"date":"2024-10-01","value":914799},{"date":"2025-01-01","value":927510},{"date":"2025-04-01","value":916447},{"date":"2025-07-01","value":919009},{"date":"2025-10-01","value":938289},{"date":"2026-01-01","value":931863},{"date":"2026-04-01","value":919701}],"latest":919701,"yoy":0.3550669051238097,"fiveYr":19.8765131183631,"sinceStart":352.2104052040771,"modeled":true},"rent":{"series":[{"date":"2026-11-01","value":2964}],"latest":2964,"yoy":null,"fiveYr":null,"sinceStart":null,"modeled":true},"census":{"medianIncome":90112,"population":9808667,"povertyRate":13.73592854782541,"medianHomeValue":834200,"medianGrossRent":1954,"medianPropertyTax":5675},"hud":{"county":"Los Angeles County","year":"2027","perUnit":2964,"bedrooms":2,"estimated":false,"baseBedrooms":2},"crime":{"scope":"state","state":"California","period":"11-2024 to 10-2026","window":{"from":"11-2024","to":"10-2026","fellBack":false},"violentCrime":{"total":307778,"ratePer100k":390.27154671662436},"propertyCrime":{"total":1264040,"ratePer100k":1602.839858312426},"note":"State-level totals from the FBI CDE summarized offense endpoint."},"crimeVintage":{"from":"11-2024","to":"10-2026","fellBack":false},"priceToRentRatio":25.9,"ratioVerdict":"Favors renting — price is high relative to rent","priceCagr":3.6928894162200576,"rentCagr":3,"cashFlow":{"price":919701,"monthlyRent":2964,"grossRent":2964,"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"units":1,"state":"CA","down":183940.2,"loan":735760.8,"mortgagePI":4772.130544095076,"monthlyTax":521.1639,"taxRatePct":0.68,"taxRateSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 0.68% ($5,675 tax ÷ $834,200 ACS median), applied to current value","monthlyInsurance":498.17137500000007,"insuranceRatePct":0.65,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (CA avg 0.65%/yr)","insuranceHighRisk":false,"vacancyPct":5,"vacancyLoss":148.20000000000002,"egi":2815.8,"mgmtPct":10,"monthlyMgmt":296.40000000000003,"maintenancePct":5,"monthlyMaint":148.20000000000002,"capexPct":5,"monthlyCapex":148.20000000000002,"hoaMonthly":0,"monthlyHoa":0,"operatingExpenses":1612.1352750000003,"noi":1203.6647249999999,"totalExpenses":6384.265819095077,"cashFlow":-3568.4658190950768,"annualCf":-42821.589829140925,"cocReturn":-23.280169223008848,"capRate":1.5705078824531014},"resilience":{"scenarios":[{"id":"rentDown","label":"Rent drops 10%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-3790.765819095077,"delta":-222,"survives":false},{"id":"vacancy","label":"Vacancy stretches to 8%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-3657.385819095077,"delta":-89,"survives":false},{"id":"insurance","label":"Insurance costs rise 25%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-3693.0086628450763,"delta":-125,"survives":false},{"id":"rateReset","label":"If financed at 8.25% instead","kind":"standard","detail":"Fixed-rate comparison — the deal if you'd borrowed at a higher rate today; your actual fixed payment never resets","cashFlow":-4323.860451097916,"delta":-755,"survives":false},{"id":"historyHome","label":"Worst market shock in available history (since 1991-01-01) (home values −20.2% over 12 months)","kind":"history","detail":"History-derived proxy: worst decline found in any window of up to 12 months in the state FHFA home-value series, 2007-10-01 → 2008-10-01, applied to rent","cashFlow":-4017.9251277144804,"delta":-449,"survives":false}],"survived":0,"total":5,"score":0,"worstCashFlow":-4323.860451097916,"baselineCashFlow":-3568.4658190950768,"framing":"underwater","confidenceLabel":"crosscheck","omitted":[],"note":"Each scenario re-runs the same verified cash-flow engine with one shock applied, then re-checks the cash-flow identity before display. Standard shocks are fixed assumptions; the history-derived scenario is this market's own worst observed 12-month decline. Estimates only — not a guarantee of performance."},"rentVsBuy":{"years":7,"priceCagr":3.6928894162200576,"rentCagr":3,"totalRentPaid":272538.4548477259,"totalCashOutlay":757519.8960367211,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (CA avg 0.65%/yr)","homeValueAfter":1185467.065419814,"equityBuilt":517488.4254881189,"netCostOfBuying":423971.6705486022,"buyingCheaper":false,"savings":151433.21570087626},"priceToIncome":{"ratio":10.206198952414773,"price":919701,"medianIncome":90112,"label":"Stretched (>5x — historically expensive vs local incomes)"},"countyTaxRatePct":0.68,"countyTaxSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 0.68% ($5,675 tax ÷ $834,200 ACS median), applied to current value","dataCheck":{"status":"crosscheck","checks":[{"metric":"home value (vintage update)","primary":919701,"secondary":834200,"primarySource":"current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA metro HPI growth)","secondarySource":"raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)","ratio":1.1,"grade":"verified","consistent":true,"hidePoint":false},{"metric":"HUD fair market rent","primary":2964,"secondary":1954,"primarySource":"HUD FMR (county)","secondarySource":"Census ACS (county gross rent)","ratio":1.52,"grade":"crosscheck","consistent":false,"hidePoint":true}],"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"verified","ratio":1.1,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA metro HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":834200,"high":919701}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.52,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":true,"range":{"low":1954,"high":2964}},"income":{"label":"estimate","sources":["Census ACS"]},"crime":{"label":"estimate","sources":["FBI CDE"]}},"note":"Every headline metric is checked against a second figure, and each check names its own basis. The rent and property-price checks pair genuinely independent datasets (HUD FMR vs Census ACS gross rent; your price vs the county estimate). The home-value check compares our current estimate (ACS county median updated by the FHFA state index) against the raw ACS 2023 median — its spread reflects price movement since the ACS measurement period (~2021), not disagreement between unrelated sources. 'Verified' means the two figures agree within 15%; 'Cross-checked' means they diverge more than 15%; 'Divergent' flags a >2x difference. A spread beyond 35% is too wide to defend a single point — the headline shows the source range instead, flagged 'sources disagree'."},"integrity":{"status":"pass","checks":[{"name":"home value freshness","status":"pass","detail":"latest 2026-04-01 (229d old — current for quarterly cadence)"},{"name":"home value card↔chart","status":"pass","detail":"card matches chart"},{"name":"home value growth window","status":"pass","detail":"growth matches the 5.0yr available window"},{"name":"rent freshness","status":"pass","detail":"latest 2026-11-01 (15d old — current for monthly cadence)"},{"name":"rent card↔chart","status":"pass","detail":"card matches chart"},{"name":"cash flow identity","status":"pass","detail":"NOI − P&I = cash flow"},{"name":"cash-on-cash","status":"pass","detail":"annual CF ÷ down matches"},{"name":"cap rate","status":"pass","detail":"NOI×12 ÷ price matches"},{"name":"price-to-rent","status":"pass","detail":"price ÷ (rent×12) matches"},{"name":"income plausibility","status":"pass","detail":"within expected range"},{"name":"price-to-income","status":"pass","detail":"price ÷ income matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: home value at term","status":"pass","detail":"compounds at 3.7%/yr"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: total rent paid","status":"pass","detail":"geometric series matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: equity built","status":"pass","detail":"home value − loan balance matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: net cost","status":"pass","detail":"outlay − equity gain matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: savings & verdict","status":"pass","detail":"savings = rent − net cost, verdict matches"}],"summary":"16/16 verified","freshness":{"homeValue":{"date":"2026-04-01","ageDays":229,"cadence":"quarterly","current":true},"rent":{"date":"2026-11-01","ageDays":15,"cadence":"monthly","current":true}}},"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"verified","ratio":1.1,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA metro HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":834200,"high":919701}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.52,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":true,"range":{"low":1954,"high":2964}},"income":{"label":"estimate","sources":["Census ACS"]},"crime":{"label":"estimate","sources":["FBI CDE"]}},"verdict":"Los Angeles County, CA is appreciation-driven for owning: at a 25.9x price-to-rent ratio, the math favors renting — monthly investor cash flow is typically thin or negative unless you buy below median or add units.","faqs":[{"q":"Is Los Angeles County, CA a good rental market?","a":"Tough for cash flow. At 25.9x, Los Angeles County is appreciation-driven — most investors here bank on equity growth, not monthly rent spread."},{"q":"What is the median home value in Los Angeles County?","a":"The typical home value in Los Angeles County is about $919,701 (county-level, Census ACS & FHFA metro HPI), up 0.4% year-over-year, and up 19.9% over five years."},{"q":"What is the median rent in Los Angeles County?","a":"The typical rent in Los Angeles County is about $2,964/mo (county-level, HUD 2-bedroom benchmark bridged from Census ACS gross rent), a current modeled estimate."},{"q":"Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Los Angeles County?","a":"Over a 7-year horizon, renting is cheaper in Los Angeles County by about $151,433 — buying only pays off if prices appreciate faster than projected."},{"q":"Is Los Angeles County affordable for homebuyers?","a":"Los Angeles County's median home value is 10.2x the local median household income — Stretched (>5x — historically expensive vs local incomes)."},{"q":"What is the property tax rate in Los Angeles County?","a":"Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate is about 0.68% of home value (Census ACS county effective rate 0.68% ($5,675 tax ÷ $834,200 ACS median), applied to current value), which on a $919,701 median home is roughly $521/mo."}],"takeaways":["The median home value in Los Angeles County, CA was $919,701 as of April 2026, up 0.4% year over year (FHFA HPI applied to the Census ACS county median).","The typical market rent in Los Angeles County, CA was $2,964/mo as of November 2026, a current modeled estimate (HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027, bridged from Census ACS gross rent).","Los Angeles County, CA has a price-to-rent ratio of 25.9 — a high reading that favors renting over buying at the median. (Computed by Areal from the figures above.)"],"citationSources":[{"name":"U.S. Census Bureau — ACS ACS 2024 5-year estimates","url":"https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/"},{"name":"FHFA House Price Index","url":"https://www.fhfa.gov/data/hpi"},{"name":"HUD Fair Market Rent","url":"https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html"},{"name":"FBI Crime Data Explorer","url":"https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/"}],"jsonApi":{"function":"getCountyReport","query":"slug=los-angeles-ca","url":"https://areal.studio/functions/getCountyReport?slug=los-angeles-ca"},"assumptions":{"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"years":7},"dataVintage":{"pulledAt":"2026-11-15T12:22:00.294Z","homeValueBasis":"FHFA metro HPI (quarterly, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area) × ACS county anchor","rentBasis":"HUD county FMR — flat current estimate (modeled, no public trend)","zhviThrough":null,"zoriThrough":null,"fhfaHpiThrough":"2026-04-01","hpiLevel":"metro","hpiMetro":"Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area","acsVintage":"ACS 2024 5-year estimates","acsVintageMisses":[],"hudFy":"2027","safmrFy":null},"zipAnchors":{"homeValueTier":"county-fhfa-acs","rentTier":"county-acs-hud","zhvi":null,"zori":null,"safmr":null,"countyHomeEstimate":919701,"countyFmr":2964,"countyRatio":null,"hpiLevel":"metro","hpiMetro":"Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area"},"links":{"stateDir":"CA","stateName":"California","cityPages":[{"city":"Los Angeles","state":"CA"}],"zips":[]},"sources":["Census ACS 5-year","FHFA HPI","HUD Fair Market Rent","FBI CDE (state-level context)"]}