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

All states·California·Downey

Los Angeles County · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · population 109,368

Shrinking
Downey, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Downey, California
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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61
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Downey stands

At or near all-time high. population shrinking 1.1% per year.

Median home $888,820
1-year +1.6%
5-yr CAGR +4.6%
vs 5-yr peak -0.2%
Population -1.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-12$889k$443k$604k$765k$926k201620182020202220242026

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
53/100
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
$2,240/mo$1,593$1,984$2,375202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent125132100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 33.1
Rent

At a 33.1 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Downey 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
58 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
63 · w22%
Distance from peak
89 · w18%
Population growth
28 · w16%
Rent YoY
57 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
70 · w10%
Long thesis

Downey has held up across the cycle: home values at $888,820 with +4.6% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Downey's population is shrinking 1.1% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Downey

Downey is a city in Los Angeles County, California, with an estimated population of 109,368. It anchors the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area. The population has contracted 1.1% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Downey is $888,820 as of 2026-04, up 1.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Downey average $2,240 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.7%). The composite momentum score is 61 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -0.2% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
○The data is the data: Downey 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

●Net out-migration: population shrinking 1.1% per year — services, schools, and tax base will follow.
●Expensive AND not growing: median home $888,820 with only +1.6% YoY. You’re paying premium pricing for a flat trend.

About Downey (Wikipedia)

Downey is a city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, 13 mi (21 km) southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Gateway Cities. The city is the birthplace of the Apollo space program and Taco Bell. It is also the home of the oldest operating McDonald's restaurant in the world. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 114,355.

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

City facts

MayorClaudia Frometa
Area12.57 sq mi
Elevation118 ft
FoundedOctober 23, 1873
Density9215.49/sq mi
Named forGov. John G. Downey

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

Things to see in Downey(Other landmarks)

  • State Route 19
  • State Route 42
  • Pasadena
  • Long Beach
  • El Camino Real
  • Pueblo de Los Angeles
  • San Diego
  • The Chantays
  • Pipeline
  • The Blasters
  • Dark Angel
  • Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center

+3 more on Wikipedia.

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

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 Los Angeles County right now.

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

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.

Cities like Downey

Compton, CA58 · StableEl Monte, CA60 · StableLakewood, CA63 · RisingSouth Gate, CA65 · Rising

Run the numbers for Downey

ToolCan I afford Downey?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Downey rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Downey to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolDowney 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 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 Downey 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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