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

All states·California·Lathrop

San Joaquin County · Stockton · population 40,860

Growing fast
Lathrop, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Lathrop, California
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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53
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Lathrop stands

Home values down 5.0% in the last year. population growing 9.2% per year.

Median home $647,590
1-year -5.0%
5-yr CAGR +2.9%
vs 5-yr peak -10.0%
Population +9.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-06$648k$334k$472k$610k$748k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
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
65/100
Strong 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 trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$3,053/mo$0$1,660$3,321202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent9510080100202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 17.7
Lean buy

At a 17.7 price-to-rent ratio, Lathrop is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
25 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
53 · w22%
Distance from peak
45 · w18%
Population growth
90 · w16%
Rent YoY
52 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
68 · w10%
Long thesis

Lathrop has held up across the cycle: home values at $647,590 with +2.9% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Lathrop is down 5.0% 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 Lathrop

Lathrop is a city in San Joaquin County, California, with an estimated population of 40,860. It anchors the Stockton metro area. The population has grown 9.2% per year on average between 2020 and 2024 — among the faster-growing communities in the state. The median home value in Lathrop is $647,590 as of 2026-04, down 5.0% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.9% annual growth (-10.0% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Lathrop average $3,053 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.1%). The composite momentum score is 53 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●People are voting with their feet: population growing 9.2% per year since 2020 — that’s faster than ~80% of US cities.
○The data is the data: Lathrop 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

●Prices actively falling: down 5.0% in the last 12 months — buyer sentiment has flipped. Sellers competing on price.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Lathrop (Wikipedia)

Lathrop is a city located 10 miles (16 km) south of Stockton in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The 2020 census reported that Lathrop's population was 28,701. The city is located in Northern California at the intersection of Interstate 5 and California State Route 120, in the San Joaquin Valley.

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

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 San Joaquin County right now.

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

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

Cities like Lathrop

Manteca, CA51 · StableLincoln, CA58 · StableMenifee, CA66 · RisingGreenfield, CA65 · Rising

Run the numbers for Lathrop

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

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Lathrop 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 sports teams

Major professional teams the Stockton 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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