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

All states·California·Richmond

Contra Costa County · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley · population 115,353

Bargain hunters
Richmond, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Richmond, California
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
37
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Richmond stands

17% off 5-year peak. home values down 4.9% in the last year.

Median home $608,357
1-year -4.9%
5-yr CAGR -1.0%
vs 5-yr peak -16.5%
Population -0.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-06$608k$391k$513k$636k$758k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
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
51/100
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
$2,562/mo$2,119$2,418$2,716202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent95113100202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 19.8
Lean buy

At a 19.8 price-to-rent ratio, Richmond 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
26 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
29 · w22%
Distance from peak
28 · w18%
Population growth
41 · w16%
Rent YoY
63 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
52 · w10%
Long thesis

Richmond has held up across the cycle: home values at $608,357 with -1.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Richmond is down 4.9% 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 Richmond

Richmond is a city in Contra Costa County, California, with an estimated population of 115,353. It anchors the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area. The median home value in Richmond is $608,357 as of 2026-04, down 4.9% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged -1.0% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 17% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Richmond average $2,562 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.8%). The composite momentum score is 37 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

▲ Bull case

○The data is the data: Richmond 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

●Cooling: -4.9% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
●17% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.

About Richmond (Wikipedia)

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 3, 1905, and has a city council. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay region, Richmond borders San Pablo, Albany, El Cerrito and Pinole in addition to the unincorporated communities of North Richmond, Hasford Heights, Kensington, El Sobrante, Bayview-Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, and East Richmond Heights, and for a short distance San Francisco on Red Rock Island in the San Francisco Bay.

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

City facts

MottoThe City of Pride and Purpose
Named forRichmond, Virginia, U.S.

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

Things to see in Richmond(Attractions and landmarks)

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  • color box|#d00|Attractions|#fff|border=silver
  • color box|#080|Parks|#fff|border=silver

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

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 Contra Costa County right now.

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

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

Neighborhoods of Richmond

30 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Carriage Hills South$1,014,485-6.1%
2El Sobrante Hills$941,186-2.5%
3Carriage Hills North$931,332-3.7%
4Greenbriar$907,494-7.0%
5Point Richmond$898,812-3.4%
6Richmond Annex$797,792-2.1%
7May Valley$780,286-4.6%
8Richmond Heights/East Richmond$776,459-2.4%
9Hilltop District$771,139-6.6%
10Laurel Park$691,662-4.3%
11Panhandle Annex$670,981-4.9%
12Parkview$658,147-4.3%
13Fairmede$636,645-3.8%
14Southwest Annex$597,336-5.6%
15North and East$588,338-4.0%
16Eastshore$575,132-3.7%
17Hilltop Green$574,305-3.3%
18Cortez/Stege$556,285-5.2%
19Park Plaza$539,127-10.2%
20Marina Bay$521,598-9.7%
21Belding Woods$520,543-5.2%
22Coronado$508,273-5.0%
23Pullman$496,937-9.1%
24Richmore Village/Metro Square$495,491-6.3%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Richmond

San Pablo, CA34 · CoolingVallejo, CA39 · CoolingSan Leandro, CA38 · CoolingPittsburg, CA43 · Cooling

Run the numbers for Richmond

ToolCan I afford Richmond?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Richmond rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Richmond to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolRichmond 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 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 Richmond 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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