What percentage of people rent in Lake Forest, CA?

Name: Renters and owners in Lake Forest, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

29.5% (±2.2 points) of the occupied homes in Lake Forest, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 8,995 renting households against 21,471 that own their home.

In Lake Forest, the share of households that rent went from 30.7% in 2015–2019 to 29.5% in 2020–2024 (−1.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 29.5% (±2.2 points)
Renting households: 8,995 (±678)
Median renter income: $90,961 (±$8,061)

Who rents and who owns in Lake Forest

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Lake Forest	Orange County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	29.5% (±2.2 points)	43.6% (±0.4 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	8,995 (±678)	472,301 (±4,148)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	21,471 (±861)	610,659 (±4,388)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.9 (±0.1)	2.8 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.8 (±0.1)	2.9 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$90,961 (±$8,061)	$86,153 (±$1,044)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$158,319 (±$7,096)	$149,479 (±$1,604)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Lake Forest, the renter share is lower than in Orange County (43.6%).

It is also lower than in California (44.1%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Orange County, Lake Forest ranks 29 of 42 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 648 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Lake Forest has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	30.7% (±1.7 points)	29.5% (±2.2 points)	−1.2 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$2,025 (±$72)	$2,672 (±$114)	+32.0%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$109,492 (±$4,154)	$135,175 (±$4,503)	+23.5%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Lake Forest

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Lake Forest
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Lake Forest	—	29.5% (±2.2 points)	—
Mission Viejo	3.3 mi	23.1% (±1.8 points)	Lower
Laguna Woods	4.3 mi	28.4% (±3.9 points)	Not measurably different
Laguna Hills	4.6 mi	30.0% (±4.0 points)	Not measurably different
Rancho Santa Margarita	4.7 mi	27.5% (±2.6 points)	Not measurably different
Trabuco Canyon	5.0 mi	7.3% (±9.6 points)	Lower
Irvine	5.7 mi	55.5% (±1.2 points)	Higher
Las Flores	5.8 mi	30.1% (±8.5 points)	Not measurably different
Aliso Viejo	6.1 mi	43.3% (±2.8 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Mission Viejo, CA (23.1%), Trabuco Canyon, CA (7.3%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Irvine, CA (55.5%), Aliso Viejo, CA (43.3%).

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

Households that rent across Orange County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
23	San Clemente	33.5% (±2.6 points)
24	Laguna Niguel	32.6% (±2.6 points)
25	La Palma	32.4% (±4.7 points)
26	Cypress	31.9% (±2.4 points)
27	Las Flores	30.1% (±8.5 points)
28	Laguna Hills	30.0% (±4.0 points)
29	Lake Forest	29.5% (±2.2 points)
30	Laguna Woods	28.4% (±3.9 points)
31	Rancho Santa Margarita	27.5% (±2.6 points)
32	Ladera Ranch	25.9% (±3.9 points)
33	Rancho Mission Viejo	24.1% (±4.9 points)
34	Seal Beach	23.4% (±2.2 points)
35	Mission Viejo	23.1% (±1.8 points)

Showing 13 of 42 places in Orange 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 Lake Forest

How many renters are there in Lake Forest?

Lake Forest has an estimated 8,995 (±678) renting households, 29.5% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Lake Forest?

In Lake Forest, the share of households that rent went from 30.7% in 2015–2019 to 29.5% in 2020–2024 (−1.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Lake Forest?

A renting household in Lake Forest has 2.9 people on average, against 2.8 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Lake Forest?

The median renting household in Lake Forest, CA has an income of $90,961 (±$8,061) a year, against $158,319 for households that own their home.

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Lake Forest city, California (place:39496, in state:06).

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

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.