Santa Rosa, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Santa Rosa.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Santa Rosa 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
- 177,216City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $97,410Incorporated place (ACS)24% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 190ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)90% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $685,000City limits (ACS)126% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $2,084City limits (ACS)55% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.7%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 25 minNear U.S. avg (25 min)U.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 45Near U.S. avg (45)U.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 481.8annualized per 100k · citywide20% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 1615.7annualized per 100k · citywide48% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 83°F4.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 38°F4.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 33.8 inNear U.S. avg (32.9 in)U.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2909% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Santa Rosa with another city
About 177,216 people live in Santa Rosa, CA. Households here report a median income near $97,410; our housing-derived cost index is about 190 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Entry home prices around $685,000 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 290 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Commutes average near 25 minutes one-way, with walkability near 45/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 3.7% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 481.8 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Santa Rosa is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Santa Rosa 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 (Santa Rosa city, 1600000US0670098)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060970000000003 (Sonoma 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 (USW00023213 SANTA ROSA SONOMA CO AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28