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

Nevada County · Truckee-Grass Valley · population 17,240

Small-town feel
View watchlist →
54
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Truckee stands

Rents up 11.2% in the last year.

Median home $1,010,467
1-year -0.7%
5-yr CAGR +2.6%
vs 5-yr peak -13.7%
Population +0.8%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-06$1010k$0k$406k$812k$1218k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
43/100
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
$4,236/mo$3,519$4,005$4,4902026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent991071002026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 19.9
Lean buy

At a 19.9 price-to-rent ratio, Truckee 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
46 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
50 · w22%
Distance from peak
34 · w18%
Population growth
60 · w16%
Rent YoY
85 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
69 · w10%
Long thesis

Truckee has held up across the cycle: home values at $1,010,467 with +2.6% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Truckee carries a $1,010,467 median home with only -0.7% YoY. Premium pricing in a flat tape is the bear setup — you're paying for the trend that already ran while new buyers can't afford to extend it.

About Truckee

Truckee is a city in Nevada County, California, with an estimated population of 17,240. It anchors the Truckee-Grass Valley metro area. The population grew 0.8% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Truckee is $1,010,467 as of 2026-04, down 0.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.6% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 14% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Truckee average $4,236 per month, up 11.2% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 54 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

Bull case

Hot rental market: rents up 11.2% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.
The data is the data: Truckee 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

Expensive AND not growing: median home $1,010,467 with only -0.7% YoY. You’re paying premium pricing for a flat trend.
14% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.
Rental squeeze: rents up 11.2% YoY — tenants face tough renewals. Affordability deteriorating fast.

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 Nevada County right now.

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

Cities like Truckee

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 Truckee listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Truckee-Grass Valley 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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