Fountain Valley, CA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·California·Fountain Valley

Orange County · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · population 56,036

Investors
Fountain Valley, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Fountain Valley, California
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72
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Fountain Valley stands

At or near all-time high. averaging 8.9% annual growth over 5 years.

Median home $1,387,373
1-year +3.0%
5-yr CAGR +8.9%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$1387k$588k$873k$1158k$1443k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
64/100
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
52/100
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
$2,820/mo$1,953$2,476$2,999202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent153134100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 41.0
Rent

At a 41.0 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Fountain Valley 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
65 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
83 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
38 · w16%
Rent YoY
74 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
81 · w10%
Long thesis

Fountain Valley has averaged 8.9% annual appreciation over five years and the trend is still live (+3.0% in the last 12 months). When a momentum trade keeps working, the simplest explanation is usually correct: more people want in.

Short thesis

Fountain Valley's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Fountain Valley

Fountain Valley is a city in Orange County, California, with an estimated population of 56,036. It anchors the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area. The median home value in Fountain Valley is $1,387,373 as of 2026-04, up 3.0% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +8.9% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Fountain Valley average $2,820 per month, up 4.4% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 72 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

Bull case

Multi-year compounder: home values up an average 8.9% per year over the last 5 years — sustained, not a one-year pop.
Quiet strength: +3.0% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

Bear case

Flat or shrinking population: -0.4% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
Premium territory: $1,387,373 median home is a high bar to clear — affordability constrains the buyer pool.

About Fountain Valley (Wikipedia)

Fountain Valley is a suburban city in Orange County, California. The population was 57,047 in the 2020 census.

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

City facts

MayorJim Cunneen
Area9.08 sq mi
Elevation33 ft
EstablishedJune 13, 1957Cite web
NicknameGospel Swamps
Motto"A Nice Place to Live"
Densityauto/sq mi

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

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

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

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

Cities like Fountain Valley

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 Fountain Valley 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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