Brentwood, CA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

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Contra Costa County · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley · population 66,286

Brentwood, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Brentwood, California
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
51
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Brentwood stands

Home values down 3.4% in the last year. rents up 5.4% in the last year.

Median home $803,156
1-year -3.4%
5-yr CAGR +2.0%
vs 5-yr peak -10.6%
Population +0.8%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-06$803k$481k$632k$783k$934k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
54/100
Workable for remote workers
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$3,231/mo$0$1,724$3,448202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent11111580100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 20.7
Lean rent

At a 20.7 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Brentwood. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
33 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
47 · w22%
Distance from peak
43 · w18%
Population growth
60 · w16%
Rent YoY
81 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
58 · w10%
Long thesis

Brentwood has held up across the cycle: home values at $803,156 with +2.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Brentwood carries a $803,156 median home with only -3.4% YoY. Premium pricing in a flat tape is the bear setup — you're paying for the trend that already ran while new buyers can't afford to extend it.

About Brentwood

Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, with an estimated population of 66,286. It anchors the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area. The population grew 0.8% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Brentwood is $803,156 as of 2026-04, down 3.4% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.0% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 11% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Brentwood average $3,231 per month, up 5.4% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 51 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Hot rental market: rents up 5.4% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.
○The data is the data: Brentwood has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●Expensive AND not growing: median home $803,156 with only -3.4% YoY. You’re paying premium pricing for a flat trend.
●Cooling: -3.4% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
●11% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.

About Brentwood (Wikipedia)

Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 66,854 as of 2022, an increase of 287% from 23,302 at the 2000 census.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorSusannah Meyer
Area14.87 sq mi
Elevation79 ft
EstablishedJanuary 21, 1948Cite web
Density4394.75/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Contra Costa County right now.

NWS active alerts (CA)California Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Contra Costa County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Brentwood

West Sacramento, CA49 · StableLodi, CA54 · StableRancho Cordova, CA52 · StableAntioch, CA45 · Cooling

Run the numbers for Brentwood

ToolCan I afford Brentwood?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Brentwood rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Brentwood to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolBrentwood cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
60° / 41°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 60°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
258
~71% of year
Annual precip
22″ rain
8″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
Very high
Earthquake
Very high
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Brentwood listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
65%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$91,500
California state median
Top industries (state-level)
TechEntertainmentAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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