San Pablo, CA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·California·San Pablo

Contra Costa County · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley · population 31,562

Bargain hunters
San Pablo, CA
Image: Wikipedia · San Pablo, California
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
34
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where San Pablo stands

16% off 5-year peak. home values down 4.8% in the last year.

Median home $566,162
1-year -4.8%
5-yr CAGR -0.6%
vs 5-yr peak -15.7%
Population -0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-06$566k$340k$460k$579k$699k201620182020202220242026

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
60/100
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 vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 20.6
Lean rent

At a 20.6 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in San Pablo. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
26 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
31 · w22%
Distance from peak
29 · w18%
Population growth
38 · w16%
Home 10-yr CAGR
57 · w10%
Long thesis

San Pablo has held up across the cycle: home values at $566,162 with -0.6% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

San Pablo is down 4.8% 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 San Pablo

San Pablo is a city in Contra Costa County, California, with an estimated population of 31,562. It anchors the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area. The median home value in San Pablo is $566,162 as of 2026-04, down 4.8% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged -0.6% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 16% below its 5-year peak. Rents in San Pablo average $2,294 per month. The composite momentum score is 34 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

▲ Bull case

○The data is the data: San Pablo 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: -4.8% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
●16% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.
●Flat or shrinking population: -0.4% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
●Long-run gains, recently flat: 5-year CAGR is -0.6% but 10-year is +4.4%. The last few years have not been kind.

About San Pablo (Wikipedia)

San Pablo is an enclave city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Currently, the city council consists of Mayor Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado, Vice Mayor Rita Xavier, Abel Pineda, Patricia Ponce, and Arturo Cruz. Dorothy Gantt is the city Clerk. Viviana Toledo is the city treasurer.

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

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.

Cities like San Pablo

Pinole, CA35 · CoolingArcata, CA38 · CoolingClearlake, CA36 · CoolingRichmond, CA37 · Cooling

Run the numbers for San Pablo

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

Cities similar to San Pablo

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all California cities →    Browse best-of lists →