Housing Value★★★★★★★★★★2.2 / 5Home values compared with local household income.
Living in Irvine, CA
Explore Irvine and see how it fits the life you want to build.
Overall Match7.2 / 10
Baseline match from currently available location scores. Choose priorities to personalize it.
Irvine at a Glance
Key facts and current data
Population311,690
Median Household Income$136,719
Median Home Value$1,191,500
Median Gross Rent$2,997
Median Age34.0
Average Household Size2.7
Unemployment5.9%
Work From Home28.0%
Homeownership44.5%
Housing Vacancy6.8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year.
Irvine is large enough to contain meaningfully different residential, commercial and employment areas rather than functioning as one uniform market. Housing costs are high relative to local household income, making affordability one of the more important factors to examine before relocating here.
Experience the Area
Experience Life in Irvine Before You Move
Explore Short-Term Stays in Irvine →Stay options powered by Stay22 · affiliate
NarrowTheList highly recommends you spend a week or two in Irvine and experience everyday life before deciding whether it is the right place to call home. Use that time to explore neighborhoods, drive your normal routes, shop where residents shop, and get a feel for the area at different times of day.
NarrowTheList Ratings
Data-driven starter ratings. More categories appear automatically as new datasets are added.
Housing & Cost of Living in Irvine
Current housing indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau
Median Home Value$1,191,500
Median Gross Rent$2,997
Homeownership44.5%
Housing Vacancy6.8%
Home values are relatively high compared with local household income, so purchase affordability deserves close attention. Renters make up a substantial share of the local housing market.
Jobs, Income & Remote Work
Employment and household-income context for Irvine, CA
Median Household Income$136,719
Unemployment5.9%
Work From Home28.0%
The reported unemployment rate is in a middle range. Working from home is relatively common among employed residents.
Population & Household Profile
Who lives in Irvine and how households are structured
Population311,690
Median Age34.0
Average Household Size2.7
Irvine is a large population center with enough scale for conditions to differ substantially across neighborhoods.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year. NarrowTheList presents these values as relocation context; conditions can vary within a community.
Climate & Weather in Irvine
Long-term NOAA climate normals and practical seasonal context
NOAA climate normals for Irvine point to hot summers, cool winters, a relatively dry annual rainfall pattern and little to no annual snowfall.
Average Summer High85.1°F
Average Winter Low43.3°F
Annual Rainfall14.1 in.
Annual Snowfall0.0 in.
Seasonal Life in Irvine
What the long-term climate pattern may mean for everyday living.
Spring
Spring should generally favor outdoor activity, although a relatively dry annual pattern makes water use, landscaping and local drought conditions worth noticing.
Summer
Summer is warm enough that shade and cooling still matter, but the typical high is below the extreme-heat range seen in many hotter U.S. markets.
Fall
Fall can be one of the best seasons for comparing neighborhoods because daily routines are active while temperatures transition away from summer conditions.
Winter
Winter lows are relatively mild and measurable snowfall is minimal, so winter living is more likely to revolve around cool or wet conditions than snow removal and prolonged freezes.
Source: NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Seasonal descriptions are relocation context derived from the available long-term normals, not a forecast.
Irvine is located in Orange County, but city-level housing, income and neighborhood conditions can differ meaningfully from countywide averages. Orange County.
County Intelligence
Irvine & Orange County
Data Pending
Foreclosure Activity
Irvine is located in Orange County, California.
NarrowTheList uses county-level information alongside local community data because many factors that matter when choosing a place to live are measured beyond city boundaries. Housing, property taxes, employment, healthcare access and other regional characteristics can add useful context to the picture of life in Irvine.
Current NarrowTheList data for Irvine shows a population of about 311,690. These local figures become more useful when read together with county-level tax, housing, foreclosure and demographic conditions rather than treated as isolated city statistics.
Foreclosure Activity: Data Pending. A county-specific foreclosure signal is not available yet.
For someone comparing homes, county boundaries can matter because taxes, public services, court and recording systems, assessment practices and housing-market conditions are often administered or reported at the county level. NarrowTheList keeps that county relationship attached to the community so future tax, foreclosure, housing and demographic data can be interpreted in the correct geographic context.
County relationship
Orange County
How NarrowTheList uses it
County information is used as a supporting geographic layer, not as a substitute for local data. As more county datasets are added, NarrowTheList can use them to improve comparisons, ratings and relocation insights for Irvine.
For someone considering a move to Irvine, the available data currently points to housing affordability that deserves careful budgeting. These signals are most useful when considered alongside the specific neighborhood, commute and housing type that fit the household making the move.
Nearby Cities & Communities
Nearby incorporated cities, towns, villages and other municipalities shown by straight-line distance.
Tustin, CA
4.3 miles away
Laguna Woods, CA
5.2 miles away
Lake Forest, CA
5.7 miles away
Newport Beach, CA
6.5 miles away
Aliso Viejo, CA
7.3 miles away
Laguna Hills, CA
7.4 miles away
Santa Ana, CA
7.6 miles away
Mission Viejo, CA
8.1 miles away
Costa Mesa, CA
8.2 miles away
Orange, CA
9.1 miles away
Laguna Beach, CA
9.3 miles away
Villa Park, CA
9.9 miles away