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

Los Angeles County · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · population 85,589

Whittier, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Whittier, California
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62
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Whittier stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $825,033
1-year +1.0%
5-yr CAGR +4.5%
vs 5-yr peak -1.0%
Population -0.5%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-12$825k$413k$564k$715k$866k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
64/100
Somewhat walkable
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
59/100
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
$2,326/mo$1,653$2,059$2,465202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent125132100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 29.6
Rent

At a 29.6 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Whittier 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
55 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
62 · w22%
Distance from peak
84 · w18%
Population growth
38 · w16%
Rent YoY
66 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
70 · w10%
Long thesis

Whittier has held up across the cycle: home values at $825,033 with +4.5% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Whittier carries a $825,033 median home with only +1.0% 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 Whittier

Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California, with an estimated population of 85,589. It anchors the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area. The median home value in Whittier is $825,033 as of 2026-04, up 1.0% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.5% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Whittier average $2,326 per month, up 3.1% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 62 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

Bull case

Held the highs: currently -1.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
The data is the data: Whittier 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 $825,033 with only +1.0% YoY. You’re paying premium pricing for a flat trend.
Flat or shrinking population: -0.5% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.

About Whittier (Wikipedia)

Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Part of the Gateway Cities, the 14.7-square-mile (38.0 km2) city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census. Whittier was incorporated in February 1898 and became a charter city in 1955. The city is named for the Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier and is home to Whittier College. The city is surrounded by four unincorporated areas sharing the Whittier name, West Whittier-Los Nietos, North Whittier, South Whittier, and East Whittier, which combined are home to a larger population than Whittier proper.

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

City facts

MayorJames Becerra
Area14.66 sq mi
Elevation367 ft
IncorporatedFebruary 25, 1898
Density5824.9/sq mi

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

Things to see in Whittier(Historical landmarks and entertainment locations)

  • Rose Hills Memorial Park, the largest single-location cemetery in the world, is located just outside the city western edge in unincorporated Whittier.
  • Whittier is home to the following California Historical Landmarks
  • Whittier Museum – 6755 Newlin Ave, Whittier 90601. Open for public tour Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. and is free of charge
  • Whittier is the home to the following places listed in the National Register of Historic Places:

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

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Los Angeles County right now.

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

Neighborhoods of Whittier

4 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Rose Hills$997,445+1.1%
2East La Mirada$889,311+1.0%
3South Whittier$792,446+1.0%
4West Whittier-Los Nietos$776,616+1.1%

Cities like Whittier

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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 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 Whittier 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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