What is the median rent in Valley Center, CA?

Name: Median rent in Valley Center, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Valley Center, CA is $1,750 (±$599) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 134 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Valley Center, the median gross rent went from $1,184 in 2015–2019 to $1,750 in 2020–2024 (+47.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,750 (±$599)
Rented homes: 134 (±68)
$2,000 or more: 38.0%
Since 2015–2019: +47.8%

How much rent costs in Valley Center

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Valley Center	San Diego County	California	United States
Less than $500	0.0% (±26.6 points)	2.2%	3.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	14.2% (±23.3 points)	3.8%	7.2%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	23.9% (±18.7 points)	10.1%	16.2%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	23.9% (±22.4 points)	22.7%	21.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	8.2% (±12.8 points)	22.8%	19.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	21.6% (±27.9 points)	14.8%	12.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	8.2% (±13.6 points)	23.6%	19.1%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 23.9% of renting households.

38.0% of rented homes in Valley Center cost $2,000 or more a month.

Valley Center against San Diego County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Valley Center	San Diego County	California	United States
Median gross rent	$1,750 (±$599)	$2,246 (±$11)	$2,036 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	134 (±68)	518,013 (±3,959)	5,783,331 (±22,650)	42,849,984

In Valley Center, median gross rent is not measurably different from San Diego County ($2,246).

It is not measurably different from California ($2,036).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

In San Diego County, Valley Center ranks 44 of 48 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 574 of 1,010.

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

How rent in Valley Center has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,184 (±$333)	$1,750 (±$599)	+47.8%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	20.2% (±6.3 points)	7.4% (±4.1 points)	−12.8 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate	0.0% (±5.3 points)	17.2% (±24.6 points)	+17.2 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.

Median gross rent in places near Valley Center

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Valley Center
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Valley Center	—	$1,750 (±$599)	—
Hidden Meadows	6.0 mi	$2,736 (±$451)	Higher
Escondido	7.7 mi	$2,046 (±$61)	Not measurably different
Bonsall	11 mi	$2,336 (±$398)	Not measurably different
San Marcos	11 mi	$2,348 (±$76)	Not measurably different
Harmony Grove	12 mi	$3,500 or more	—
Vista	13 mi	$2,249 (±$43)	Not measurably different
Lake San Marcos	14 mi	$2,585 (±$214)	Higher
Rainbow	14 mi	$2,085 (±$442)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Hidden Meadows, CA ($2,736), Lake San Marcos, CA ($2,585).

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

Median gross rent across San Diego County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
38	Lemon Grove	$1,893 (±$112)
39	Julian	$1,860 (±$809)
40	El Cajon	$1,856 (±$27)
41	La Presa	$1,852 (±$47)
42	Ramona	$1,830 (±$92)
43	Fallbrook	$1,786 (±$58)
44	Valley Center	$1,750 (±$599)
45	National City	$1,692 (±$46)
46	Eucalyptus Hills	$1,408 (±$411)
47	Crest	$1,196 (±$568)
48	Borrego Springs	$1,004 (±$357)

Showing 11 of 48 places in San Diego County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Valley Center 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.

What you can do on Seayora in Valley Center

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Valley Center, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Valley Center beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Valley Center, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Valley Center

What is the average rent in Valley Center, CA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Valley Center is $1,750 (±$599) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Valley Center?

In Valley Center, the median gross rent went from $1,184 in 2015–2019 to $1,750 in 2020–2024 (+47.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in Valley Center cost more than $2,000 a month?

38.0% of rented homes in Valley Center have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 0.0% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Valley Center higher than in San Diego County?

In Valley Center, median gross rent is not measurably different from San Diego County ($2,246).

It is not measurably different from California ($2,036).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

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 Valley Center CDP, California (place:81736, in state:06).

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

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

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.