What is the rental vacancy rate in East Palo Alto, CA?

Name: Vacancy rate in East Palo Alto, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The rental vacancy rate in East Palo Alto, CA is 11.4% (±3.2 points) (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

The homeowner vacancy rate is 0.0% (±1.0 points).

893 (±192) homes, 9.7% of all housing units, were vacant, a count that includes seasonal homes and homes being sold or rented.

In East Palo Alto, the rental vacancy rate went from 7.5% in 2015–2019 to 11.4% in 2020–2024 (+3.9 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Rental vacancy rate: 11.4% (±3.2 points)
Homeowner vacancy rate: 0.0% (±1.0 points)
Vacant homes: 893 (±192)

Vacancy in East Palo Alto against San Mateo County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	East Palo Alto	San Mateo County	California	United States
Rental vacancy rate	11.4% (±3.2 points)	8.5% (±0.7 points)	4.2% (±0.1 points)	5.5%
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.0% (±1.0 points)	0.7% (±0.2 points)	0.8% (±0.1 points)	0.9%
Vacant housing units	893 (±192)	22,765 (±1,282)	1,096,644 (±18,928)	14,547,859

The rental vacancy rate is the share of rental homes that are vacant and for rent; it leaves out homes already rented but not yet moved into, and seasonal homes.

In East Palo Alto, the rental vacancy rate is not measurably different from San Mateo County (8.5%).

It is also higher than in California (4.2%).

It is higher than the national figure (5.5%).

Rental vacancy rate in places near East Palo Alto

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with East Palo Alto
Place	Distance	Rental vacancy rate	Compared with this place
East Palo Alto	—	11.4% (±3.2 points)	—
Menlo Park	1.2 mi	7.7% (±3.7 points)	Not measurably different
Stanford	3.4 mi	9.7% (±5.7 points)	Not measurably different
Atherton	3.8 mi	0.0% (±14.2 points)	Not measurably different
North Fair Oaks	3.9 mi	7.4% (±4.1 points)	Not measurably different
West Menlo Park	4.5 mi	41.1% (±29.9 points)	Not measurably different
Palo Alto	5.0 mi	10.2% (±2.8 points)	Not measurably different
Redwood City	5.5 mi	8.6% (±1.9 points)	Not measurably different
Mountain View	5.5 mi	8.6% (±1.6 points)	Not measurably different

None of the nearby places differs measurably from this one on this figure.

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Rental vacancy rate across San Mateo County, place by place

Rank	Place	Rental vacancy rate
1	Moss Beach	92.2% (±25.0 points)
2	West Menlo Park	41.1% (±29.9 points)
3	Highlands	19.9% (±18.8 points)
4	La Honda	18.1% (±29.6 points)
5	Woodside	17.9% (±19.7 points)
6	Daly City	13.9% (±1.8 points)
7	East Palo Alto	11.4% (±3.2 points)
8	San Bruno	10.7% (±3.5 points)
9	Burlingame	10.3% (±2.9 points)
10	Redwood City	8.6% (±1.9 points)
11	San Carlos	8.0% (±5.1 points)
12	Belmont	7.9% (±3.6 points)
13	Menlo Park	7.7% (±3.7 points)

Showing 13 of 31 places in San Mateo County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about East Palo Alto

Is it hard to find a rental in East Palo Alto?

The rental vacancy rate in East Palo Alto, CA is 11.4% (±3.2 points); a low rate means few rental homes stand empty and for rent at any time, which usually means more competition for each one.

Is the rental market in East Palo Alto tighter than it was?

In East Palo Alto, the rental vacancy rate went from 7.5% in 2015–2019 to 11.4% in 2020–2024 (+3.9 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How many homes are vacant in East Palo Alto?

An estimated 893 (±192) housing units, 9.7% of the total, including seasonal homes and homes waiting to be sold or rented.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for East Palo Alto city, California (place:20956, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M, DP04_0004E, DP04_0004M, DP04_0003E, DP04_0003M, DP04_0003PE, DP04_0003PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.