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

Napa County · Napa · population 5,022

ShrinkingSmall-town feel
View watchlist →
32
Declining
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Calistoga stands

Home values down 4.7% in the last year. population shrinking 1.0% per year.

Median home $1,079,044
1-year -4.7%
5-yr CAGR -0.7%
vs 5-yr peak -12.6%
Population -1.0%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-05$1079k$765k$938k$1111k$1285k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
25/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
10/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
10/100
Poor remote-work fit
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 vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 36.0
Rent

At a 36.0 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Calistoga for most shorter holds. The premium you pay to own would take many years of rent savings to recoup, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and opportunity cost on the down payment.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
26 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
31 · w22%
Distance from peak
37 · w18%
Population growth
30 · w16%
Home 10-yr CAGR
45 · w10%
Long thesis

Calistoga has held up across the cycle: home values at $1,079,044 with -0.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Calistoga is down 4.7% over the last 12 months and the trend isn't flattening. Falling knife rule applies: you don't catch one with your hands, you wait for it to hit the floor and stop moving.

About Calistoga

Calistoga is a city in Napa County, California, with an estimated population of 5,022. It anchors the Napa metro area. The population has contracted 1.0% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Calistoga is $1,079,044 as of 2026-04, down 4.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged -0.7% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 13% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Calistoga average $2,500 per month. The composite momentum score is 32 of 100 (Declining). The market is well off recent highs — patient long-term buyers may find opportunities, but resale liquidity is reduced.

Bull case

The data is the data: Calistoga has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 1-criteria momentum score on this page.

Bear case

Expensive AND not growing: median home $1,079,044 with only -4.7% YoY. You’re paying premium pricing for a flat trend.
Cooling: -4.7% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
13% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.
Flat or shrinking population: -1.0% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
Thin housing market: small population means fewer transactions and slower resale. Liquidity risk on exit.

Playbook

Buyer

Make sure you're not catching a falling knife. Verify local fundamentals — jobs, population trend, school enrollment — before assuming the bottom is in. Negotiate hard and walk away from anything that doesn't pencil.

Seller

Be realistic. Below-list pricing may be required; time is not your friend. If you can wait 2-3 years for the cycle to turn, consider holding.

Investor

Cap rates can look great in Declining markets, but verify tenant pool, income stability, and exit liquidity before committing. A 10% cap on a vacant property is 0%.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Napa County right now.

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

Cities like Calistoga

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.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

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

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

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Napa area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

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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