What percentage of people rent in Santa Monica, CA?

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

72.1% (±1.5 points) of the occupied homes in Santa Monica, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 34,107 renting households against 13,190 that own their home.

In Santa Monica, the share of households that rent went from 71.0% in 2015–2019 to 72.1% in 2020–2024 (+1.1 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 72.1% (±1.5 points)
Renting households: 34,107 (±1,203)
Median renter income: $102,169 (±$7,037)

Who rents and who owns in Santa Monica

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Santa Monica	Los Angeles County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	72.1% (±1.5 points)	54.1% (±0.2 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	34,107 (±1,203)	1,848,466 (±7,040)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	13,190 (±711)	1,567,983 (±9,447)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.7 (±0.1)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.3 (±0.1)	3.1 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$102,169 (±$7,037)	$66,677 (±$463)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$189,583 (±$14,576)	$127,538 (±$734)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Santa Monica, the renter share is higher than in Los Angeles County (54.1%).

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

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

In Los Angeles County, Santa Monica ranks 11 of 140 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 34 of 1,076.

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

How renting in Santa Monica 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	71.0% (±1.4 points)	72.1% (±1.5 points)	+1.1 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,802 (±$47)	$2,402 (±$88)	+33.3%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$96,570 (±$3,117)	$114,885 (±$7,492)	+19.0%	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 Santa Monica

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Santa Monica
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Santa Monica	—	72.1% (±1.5 points)	—
Marina del Rey	3.6 mi	94.4% (±4.6 points)	Higher
Los Angeles	5.0 mi	64.0% (±0.3 points)	Lower
Culver City	5.8 mi	45.4% (±3.1 points)	Lower
Beverly Hills	7.2 mi	59.0% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Ladera Heights	7.4 mi	37.0% (±6.9 points)	Lower
El Segundo	8.1 mi	57.5% (±4.9 points)	Lower
Topanga	8.6 mi	17.9% (±5.6 points)	Lower
View Park-Windsor Hills	8.7 mi	29.9% (±6.4 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Los Angeles, CA (64.0%), Culver City, CA (45.4%), Beverly Hills, CA (59.0%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Marina del Rey, CA (94.4%).

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

Households that rent across Los Angeles County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
5	West Hollywood	80.2% (±2.6 points)
6	Bell Gardens	78.8% (±3.1 points)
7	Huntington Park	75.8% (±2.2 points)
8	Bell	73.5% (±3.6 points)
9	Lennox	73.1% (±4.9 points)
10	Hawthorne	72.8% (±1.5 points)
11	Santa Monica	72.1% (±1.5 points)
12	Westmont	71.7% (±3.2 points)
13	Maywood	69.5% (±3.5 points)
14	East Los Angeles	66.5% (±1.9 points)
15	Glendale	64.8% (±1.2 points)
16	Los Angeles	64.0% (±0.3 points)
17	Inglewood	63.8% (±1.6 points)

Showing 13 of 140 places in Los Angeles 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 Santa Monica

How many renters are there in Santa Monica?

Santa Monica has an estimated 34,107 (±1,203) renting households, 72.1% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Santa Monica?

In Santa Monica, the share of households that rent went from 71.0% in 2015–2019 to 72.1% in 2020–2024 (+1.1 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Santa Monica?

A renting household in Santa Monica has 1.7 people on average, against 2.3 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Santa Monica?

The median renting household in Santa Monica, CA has an income of $102,169 (±$7,037) a year, against $189,583 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 Santa Monica city, California (place:70000, 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.