What percentage of people rent in Petaluma, CA?

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

35.5% (±2.4 points) of the occupied homes in Petaluma, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 8,596 renting households against 15,643 that own their home.

In Petaluma, the share of households that rent went from 34.1% in 2015–2019 to 35.5% in 2020–2024 (+1.4 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 35.5% (±2.4 points)
Renting households: 8,596 (±664)
Median renter income: $86,192 (±$9,793)

Who rents and who owns in Petaluma

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Petaluma	Sonoma County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	35.5% (±2.4 points)	37.4% (±0.8 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	8,596 (±664)	71,400 (±1,708)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	15,643 (±557)	119,598 (±1,666)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.2 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$86,192 (±$9,793)	$77,033 (±$3,527)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$134,943 (±$9,568)	$128,478 (±$3,054)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Petaluma, the renter share is not measurably different from Sonoma County (37.4%).

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

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Sonoma County, Petaluma ranks 9 of 24 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 509 of 1,076.

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

How renting in Petaluma 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	34.1% (±1.8 points)	35.5% (±2.4 points)	+1.4 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,830 (±$76)	$2,440 (±$134)	+33.3%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$91,528 (±$4,176)	$115,430 (±$6,370)	+26.1%	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 Petaluma

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Petaluma
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Petaluma	—	35.5% (±2.4 points)	—
Penngrove	4.6 mi	24.5% (±9.5 points)	Lower
Temelec	7.2 mi	13.3% (±8.6 points)	Lower
Cotati	7.4 mi	40.8% (±7.6 points)	Not measurably different
Rohnert Park	8.3 mi	50.1% (±3.0 points)	Higher
El Verano	8.4 mi	41.1% (±11.8 points)	Not measurably different
Boyes Hot Springs	9.0 mi	39.3% (±8.0 points)	Not measurably different
Glen Ellen	9.1 mi	35.3% (±24.4 points)	Not measurably different
Eldridge	9.2 mi	26.0% (±12.4 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Penngrove, CA (24.5%), Temelec, CA (13.3%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Rohnert Park, CA (50.1%).

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

Households that rent across Sonoma County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
3	Santa Rosa	43.3% (±1.3 points)
4	Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente	41.9% (±9.2 points)
5	El Verano	41.1% (±11.8 points)
6	Cotati	40.8% (±7.6 points)
7	Healdsburg	39.9% (±5.8 points)
8	Boyes Hot Springs	39.3% (±8.0 points)
9	Petaluma	35.5% (±2.4 points)
10	Glen Ellen	35.3% (±24.4 points)
11	Sonoma	35.0% (±5.3 points)
12	Guerneville	33.4% (±7.0 points)
13	Larkfield-Wikiup	30.4% (±6.5 points)
14	Forestville	28.4% (±7.7 points)
15	Cloverdale	28.3% (±5.9 points)

Showing 13 of 24 places in Sonoma 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 Petaluma

How many renters are there in Petaluma?

Petaluma has an estimated 8,596 (±664) renting households, 35.5% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Petaluma?

In Petaluma, the share of households that rent went from 34.1% in 2015–2019 to 35.5% in 2020–2024 (+1.4 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Petaluma?

A renting household in Petaluma has 2.2 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Petaluma?

The median renting household in Petaluma, CA has an income of $86,192 (±$9,793) a year, against $134,943 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 Petaluma city, California (place:56784, 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.