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

All states·California·Napa

Napa County · Napa · population 76,921

Shrinking
Napa, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Napa, California
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
44
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Napa stands

Home values down 3.5% in the last year. population shrinking 0.7% per year.

Median home $885,643
1-year -3.5%
5-yr CAGR +1.7%
vs 5-yr peak -5.3%
Population -0.7%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-07$886k$570k$704k$838k$972k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
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
45/100
Marginal for remote
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
$2,763/mo$2,142$2,544$2,947202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent109121100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 26.7
Rent

At a 26.7 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Napa 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
33 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
45 · w22%
Distance from peak
59 · w18%
Population growth
34 · w16%
Rent YoY
47 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
52 · w10%
Long thesis

Napa has held up across the cycle: home values at $885,643 with +1.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Napa's population is shrinking 0.7% 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 Napa

Napa is a city in Napa County, California, with an estimated population of 76,921. The population has contracted 0.7% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Napa is $885,643 as of 2026-04, down 3.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +1.7% annual growth (-5.3% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Napa average $2,763 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+0.2%). The composite momentum score is 44 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

▲ Bull case

○The data is the data: Napa 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 $885,643 with only -3.5% YoY. You’re paying premium pricing for a flat trend.
●Cooling: -3.5% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
●Flat or shrinking population: -0.7% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.

About Napa (Wikipedia)

Napa is the largest city in and the county seat of Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the city had a population of 76,921 as of the July, 2024. Napa is a major tourist destination in California, known for its wineries, restaurants, and arts culture.

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

City facts

MayorScott Sedgley (D)
Area18.35 sq mi
Elevation20 ft
IncorporatedMarch 23, 1872
Density4391.1/sq mi

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

Playbook

Buyer

You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.

Seller

Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.

Investor

Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.

Local safety & alerts

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

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

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.

Neighborhoods of Napa

25 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Riverpark$1,274,914+2.0%
2Browns Valley South$1,222,012-1.6%
3Browns Valley Central$1,171,661-2.0%
4Browns Valley East$1,064,540-1.5%
5Alta Heights$1,052,488-4.2%
6Browns Valley West$1,013,883-1.6%
7Vineyard Estates$1,004,758-1.8%
8Terrace$967,712-4.4%
9Linda Vista$901,825-6.3%
10Springwood Estates$891,114-2.7%
11Vintage$829,700-3.6%
12Fuller Park$813,316-3.6%
13Central$797,674-4.4%
14Pueblo Park$775,936-4.2%
15Bel Aire$755,745-2.9%
16Mcpherson$730,039-2.2%
17Stonehouse$721,620-5.8%
18Shurtleff$714,266-4.0%
19Von Uhlit Ranch$712,527-3.9%
20Beard$709,061-2.8%
21Coventry Manor$694,441-5.4%
22Napa Abajo$691,269-3.1%
23Downtown$687,572+0.4%
24Sheveland Ranch$670,945-4.0%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Napa

Concord, CA44 · CoolingSuisun City, CA45 · CoolingPleasant Hill, CA46 · CoolingAlameda, CA44 · Cooling

Run the numbers for Napa

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