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

Why look at Compton?

  • Mid-tier housing market. Median home is $638k.
  • Stable market. Home values +1.6% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
  • Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 13.3% — factor into salary comparisons.
Compton, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Compton, California
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58
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Compton stands

At or near all-time high. population shrinking 1.2% per year.

Median home $637,625
1-year +1.6%
5-yr growth +4.4%
vs 5-yr peak -1.0%
Population -1.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-12$638k$276k$407k$538k$670k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
78/100
Very walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
61/100
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
$2,413/mo$2,033$2,323$2,61320242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent10311110020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 22.0
Lean rent

At a 22.0 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Compton. Buying makes more sense the longer you plan to stay and the more confident you are that prices will keep appreciating roughly in line with rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
58 · w22%
Home 5-yr growth
61 · w22%
Distance from peak
84 · w18%
Population growth
27 · w16%
Rent YoY
34 · w12%
Home 10-yr growth
81 · w10%

About Compton (Wikipedia)

Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and in May 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporate. In the 2020 census, the city had a population of 95,740.

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

City facts

MayorDeidre M. DuhartAndre SpicerJonathan Bowers Lillie P. Darden
Area10.12 sq mi
Elevation69 ft
EstablishedMay 11, 1888 government_type = Council-M
NicknameHub City
MottoBirthing a New Compton
Density9548.22/sq mi
Named forGriffith Dickenson Compton

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

Things to see in Compton(Historical landmarks)

  • Angeles Abbey Memorial Park
  • Byzantine
  • Moorish
  • Compton Airport
  • Alondra Boulevard
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
  • Eagle Tree
  • Rancho San Pedro
  • Daughters of the Golden West
  • Heritage House
  • California Historical Landmark
  • Woodlawn Memorial Park

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Los Angeles County right now.

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

Neighborhoods of Compton

1 tracked · ranked by median home value
1East Compton$625,438+1.6%

California context

Schools

39 public schools18,325 students23.9:1 student-teacher

Compton is served by 39 public schools enrolling about 18,325 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 23.9:1 — larger classes than the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.

Ratings, districts & boundaries:

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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 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 Compton listings on the major real-estate sites.

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

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Compton-specific coverage. 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.

Find more cities like Compton

Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Compton’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.

Find more like Compton →

Cities similar to Compton

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all California cities →    Browse best-of lists →

Cost-of-ownership at the median

Tax burden
13.3% top marginal
~32% all-in for a $150k earner
Property tax / yr
$5k
0.71% × median home $638k
Climate / hazard
limited data
Plan for the local hazard profile.

Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.

Schools & crime context

Schools

School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.

Crime

California: 499 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.

Compare to where you live now

Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.

Jobs & hiring

In Compton, unemployment runs higher at 8.0%, and hiring momentum has been modest. The strongest local sectors are skilled trades & manufacturing, hospitality & tourism and education.

8.0% unemployment42/100 hiring momentum$78,465 median household income21/100 remote-work fit

Search current openings: