Housing data for Penn Valley, CA
Penn Valley, CA has an estimated 1,678 residents and 748 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Nevada County.
26.6% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,230 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,678 (±481)
- Housing units
- 748 (±229)
- Households that rent
- 26.6%
- Median gross rent
- $1,230
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +25.1%
What stands out in Penn Valley
Average commute: 50.8 minutes (±14.4) in Penn Valley, higher than in Nevada County (23.6 minutes).
Homes built before 1980: 80.2% (±23.7 points) in Penn Valley, higher than in Nevada County (42.5%).
Median real estate taxes: $2,380 (±$426) in Penn Valley, lower than in Nevada County ($4,694).
Working from home: 8.9% (±8.7 points) in Penn Valley, lower than in Nevada County (25.0%).
Housing in Penn Valley at a glance
- Median rent: $1,230 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,156 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 64.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 26.6% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $64,737 median household income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Home values: $500,700 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,188 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,380 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 0.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 51.0% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 80.2% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 44.0% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 50.8 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +25.1% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 22.5% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 1.8% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Penn Valley against Nevada County, its state and the nation
| Penn Valley | Nevada County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,678 (±481) | 102,481 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 748 (±229) | 54,309 (±83) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 26.6% (±14.5 points) | 24.5% (±1.8 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,230 (±$848) | $1,677 (±$96) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $64,737 (±$43,311) | $89,882 (±$3,998) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $500,700 (±$148,777) | $621,800 (±$12,667) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,380 (±$426) | $4,694 (±$162) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 80.2% (±23.7 points) | 42.5% (±2.3 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 50.8 minutes (±14.4) | 23.6 minutes (±1.0) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 89.1% (±12.9 points) | 93.0% (±1.3 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 43.8 years (±27.1) | 50.1 years (±0.2) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Penn Valley covers 2.1 square miles of land, about 791 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Penn Valley has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,341 (±554) | 1,678 (±481) | +25.1% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 679 (±197) | 748 (±229) | +10.2% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $1,279 (±$460) | $1,230 (±$848) | −3.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $315,200 (±$178,755) | $500,700 (±$148,777) | +58.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $42,904 (±$8,040) | $64,737 (±$43,311) | +50.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,440 (±$144) | $2,188 (±$913) | +51.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,844 (±$1,402) | $2,380 (±$426) | +29.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 28.1% (±19.4 points) | 26.6% (±14.5 points) | −1.5 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±19.7 points) | 0.0% (±20.9 points) | 0.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
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.
Crime reported to police in Nevada County
Penn Valley has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Nevada County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Nevada County recorded 297 violent and 683 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Penn Valley
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Wildwood | 2.6 mi | $2,507 | $551,800 | 15.1% |
| Grass Valley | 7.8 mi | $1,458 | $482,200 | 59.8% |
| Alta Sierra | 9.1 mi | $2,254 | $563,700 | 13.0% |
| Nevada City | 9.7 mi | $1,411 | $677,400 | 45.7% |
| Beale AFB | 10 mi | $2,758 | — | 98.5% |
| Lake of the Pines | 13 mi | $2,399 | $664,300 | 12.3% |
| Loma Rica | 14 mi | $1,724 | $495,100 | 10.3% |
| Colfax | 15 mi | $1,553 | $434,300 | 55.4% |
Places in California most like Penn Valley
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | $1,221 | $296,100 | $53,173 | 44.1% |
| Julian | $1,860 | $602,700 | $77,803 | 12.8% |
| Garden Acres | $1,354 | $336,000 | $66,474 | 45.8% |
| Running Springs | $1,804 | $385,000 | $81,516 | 26.0% |
| Desert View Highlands | $2,002 | $360,400 | $76,094 | 43.0% |
| Crestline | $1,538 | $394,400 | $77,786 | 23.7% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across California.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Penn Valley, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,313 | $1,441 | $1,885 | $2,610 | $3,151 |
HUD income limits for Penn Valley, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $26,300 | $43,800 | $70,050 |
| 2 people | $30,050 | $50,050 | $80,050 |
| 3 people | $33,800 | $56,300 | $90,050 |
| 4 people | $37,550 | $62,550 | $100,100 |
| 5 people | $40,600 | $67,550 | $108,100 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $72,600 | $116,150 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $77,600 | $124,100 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $82,600 | $132,150 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Nevada County, CA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $140,400.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Penn Valley is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
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 Penn Valley
What is the average home value in Penn Valley, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $500,700 (±$148,777) for owner-occupied homes in Penn Valley (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Penn Valley?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Penn Valley, CA is $2,188 (±$913) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Penn Valley?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Penn Valley, CA is $2,380 (±$426) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Penn Valley?
Penn Valley, CA has an estimated 748 (±229) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common home size in Penn Valley?
The most common size is 3 bedrooms, 48.9% of homes in Penn Valley, CA.
How old are most homes in Penn Valley?
80.2% of homes in Penn Valley, CA were built before 1980 (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Penn Valley growing?
In Penn Valley, the number of residents went from 1,341 in 2015–2019 to 1,678 in 2020–2024 (+25.1%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Penn Valley CDP, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Penn Valley CDP, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Penn Valley CDP, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Penn Valley CDP, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Penn Valley CDP, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Penn Valley CDP, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Penn Valley CDP, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Nevada County, CA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Nevada County, CA
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
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 Penn Valley CDP, California (place:56518, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
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.
Figures last updated on .