Sacramento, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Sacramento.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Sacramento compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 524,802City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $83,753Incorporated place (ACS)7% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 143ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)43% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $484,600City limits (ACS)60% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,694City limits (ACS)26% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.2%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 27 min8% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 499% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 627.1annualized per 100k · citywideNear U.S. avg (602.7)U.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 3182.1annualized per 100k · citywideNear U.S. avg (3084.9)U.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 92°F5.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 42°F8.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 19.2 in42% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 30414% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Sacramento with another city
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 304 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Average one-way commute time is about 27 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 49/100. Labor-market readings near 4.2% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. Violent-offense rates near 627.1 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Relocators eyeing Sacramento, California will find roughly 524,802 residents within city limits. With median income around $83,753 and a cost index of 143, the market reads well above the national housing-cost baseline. Budget for median rents around $1,694 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
Sacramento sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Sacramento with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Sacramento city, 1600000US0664000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060670000000003 (Sacramento County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00023271 SACRAMENTO 5 ESE)
Last updated 2026-07-28