Housing Value★★★★★★★★★★2.4 / 5Home values compared with local household income.
Living in Santa Rosa, CA
Explore Santa Rosa and see how it fits the life you want to build.
Overall Match6.8 / 10
Baseline match from currently available location scores. Choose priorities to personalize it.
Santa Rosa at a Glance
Key facts and current data
Population177,090
Median Household Income$99,060
Median Home Value$713,900
Median Gross Rent$2,152
Median Age41.2
Average Household Size2.5
Unemployment6.3%
Work From Home11.5%
Homeownership56.7%
Housing Vacancy4.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year.
Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa Before You Move
Explore Short-Term Stays in Santa Rosa →Stay options powered by Stay22 · affiliate
NarrowTheList highly recommends you spend a week or two in Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa
Current housing indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau
Median Home Value$713,900
Median Gross Rent$2,152
Homeownership56.7%
Housing Vacancy4.3%
Home values are relatively high compared with local household income, so purchase affordability deserves close attention. The housing mix leans toward owner-occupied homes while still supporting a meaningful rental market.
Jobs, Income & Remote Work
Employment and household-income context for Santa Rosa, CA
Median Household Income$99,060
Unemployment6.3%
Work From Home11.5%
The reported unemployment rate is elevated enough to warrant a closer look at current local employment conditions. A meaningful share of employed residents work from home.
Population & Household Profile
Who lives in Santa Rosa and how households are structured
Population177,090
Median Age41.2
Average Household Size2.5
Santa Rosa is a mid-sized community where neighborhood and nearby-employment patterns can materially affect a relocation decision.
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 Santa Rosa
Long-term NOAA climate normals and practical seasonal context
NOAA climate normals for Santa Rosa point to warm summers, cool winters, a wetter annual rainfall pattern and little to no annual snowfall.
Average Summer High81.6°F
Average Winter Low38.4°F
Annual Rainfall31.5 in.
Annual Snowfall0.0 in.
Seasonal Life in Santa Rosa
What the long-term climate pattern may mean for everyday living.
Spring
Spring is a useful time to evaluate how quickly outdoor conditions become comfortable and how seasonal rain affects everyday routines.
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 is generally cool with limited snowfall. Heating needs still matter, but snow-related disruption should be less central than in colder markets.
Source: NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Seasonal descriptions are relocation context derived from the available long-term normals, not a forecast.
Santa Rosa is located in Sonoma County, but city-level housing, income and neighborhood conditions can differ meaningfully from countywide averages. Sonoma County. Current county foreclosure activity is classified as medium, adding another housing-market signal for buyers comparing conventional and distressed-property opportunities.
County Intelligence
Santa Rosa & Sonoma County
Medium
Foreclosure Activity
Santa Rosa is located in Sonoma 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 Santa Rosa.
Current NarrowTheList data for Santa Rosa shows a population of about 177,090. 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: Medium. Current signal uses NarrowTheList foreclosure-opportunity data until direct county delinquency and foreclosure datasets are connected.
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
Sonoma 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 Santa Rosa.
For someone considering a move to Santa Rosa, 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.