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Cost of living, pay and housing

35.73° N · 120.87° W · GEOID 0639670

Lake Nacimiento

San Luis Obispo County, California · part of the San Luis Obispo, CA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

CaliforniaLake Nacimiento, CALake NacimientoLake Nacimiento

The short answer

Lake Nacimiento is home to 3,339 people. Median household income is $91,615 a year and median rent is $1,793 a month, 23.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $504,200, about 5.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,793
31% above the median place
Median household income
$91,615
14% above the median place
Median home value
$504,200
58% above the median place
Unemployment
5.5%
12% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Lake Nacimiento

  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 295 hours a year commuting, more than in 99% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • 32% of homes stand vacant, more than in 95% of places its size.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 5.5% a year while rent rose 0.4%, so pay gained on rent more than in 88% of places its size.
  • Only 31% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 92% of places its size.
  • The median home is worth 5.5 years of the median household's income, more than in 86% of places its size.
01

Moving to Lake Nacimiento

San Luis Obispo County gains about 0.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in10,128
Moved out9,981
Net+147

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$104K
Leavers$77K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of San Luis Obispo County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into San Luis Obispo County report $103,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $77,200, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$71,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,793 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,687 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $504,200.
Getting to work
45 minutes each way on average; 14.2% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Hughson, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.6%
20% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$103,683
47% above the median place
Moved from another state1
1.5%
23% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLake NacimientoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.6%20% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.5%23% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure0.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$103,68347% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$77,16810% above
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 32.2%, 357% above the median place.

Lake Nacimiento23.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$71,720
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
23.5%
15% above the median place
Home price to income
5.5x
45% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
23%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$69,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lake Nacimiento, $1,793 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.3 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lake Nacimiento, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Oak Hills, CA20.4% vs 23.5%$10,000Compare
Minnehaha, WA20.4% vs 23.5%$9,800Compare
Fishhook, AK19.8% vs 23.5%$16,300Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lake Nacimiento.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lake Nacimiento? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
32.2%
357% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
31.4%
38% below the median place
Homeownership1
86.2%
30% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLake NacimientoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,79331% above
Rent to income123.5%15% above
Property tax rate10.8%12% below
Home price to income15.5x45% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure108.68% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,72068% above
HUD area median income4County figure$129,60021% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,05624% above
Median home value1$504,20058% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.3%3% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure47.5%8% below
Homeownership186.2%30% above
Renters paying 30%+131.4%38% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,68744% above
Vacant homes132.2%357% above
Median year built119870% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 45 min, 82% above the median place.

Mean commute1
45 min
82% above the median place
Income per person1
$47,498
19% above the median place
Median household income1
$91,615
14% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLake NacimientoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$91,61514% above
Income per person1$47,49819% above
Unemployment1County figure5.5%12% above
Average annual pay6County figure$64,5612% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure5.3%43% above
Jobs6County figure121,63419% below
Poverty rate1County figure12.9%20% above
Mean commute145 min82% above
Works from home114.2%14% above
Commutes by transit1County figure0.6%32% below
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 98.0%, 6% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
98.0%
6% above the median place
High school or higher1
96.7%
5% above the median place
Born abroad1
4.2%
52% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher24.7% −23%
Household size2.6 +6%
No health insurance7.0% +9%
Median age39.2 +1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLake NacimientoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,3396646th largest
Median age139.21% above
Bachelor's or higher124.7%23% below
High school or higher196.7%5% above
Household size12.66% above
Born abroad14.2%52% below
No health insurance17.0%9% above
Homes with broadband198.0%6% above
05

Life in Lake Nacimiento

38 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents6.0 −41%
Playgrounds per 10k35.9 3.8×
Grocery stores per 10k6.0 2.8×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k15.0 +34%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −70%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars30.9 +49%
Shops38.3 +26%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.5 +34%
Doctors' offices and clinics30.9 +53%
Child care centers3.6 +57%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Restaurants and bars per 10k8
30.9
49% above the median place
Students per teacher11
21.2
38% above the median place
Child care centers per 10k8
3.6
57% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureLake NacimientoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure82above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure32,720above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure21.238% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure30.949% above
Shops per 10k8County figure38.326% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.534% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure30.953% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure3.657% above
Parks per 10k96.041% below
Playgrounds per 10k935.9282% above
Grocery stores per 10k96.0183% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k915.034% above
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.670% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure38192% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Tornado risk is 6.1, 92% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Lake Nacimiento. Larger places are fetched first.

Tornado risk13
6.1
92% below the median place
Wildfire risk13
98.3
61% above the median place
Annual precipitation12
17.1 in
61% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureLake NacimientoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure88°F1% above
January average low12County figure38°F51% above
Average temperature12County figure60°F9% above
Annual precipitation12County figure17.1 in61% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure95.94% above
Tornado risk13County figure6.192% below
Wildfire risk13County figure98.361% above
Heat wave risk13County figure78.713% below
Median air quality index14County figure5016% above
Good air days14County figure52.3%24% below
08

Lake Nacimiento in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 23% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 23% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,793/mo (2024)$2,260/mo$1,850 to $2,750/mo+3.9%
Median household income$91,615 (2024)$116,500$98,500 to $137,500+4.1%
Median home value$504,200 (2024)$711,000$516,000 to $980,000+5.9%

The median home would be worth 6.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Lake Nacimiento

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Hughson, CA$1,748$91,557Compare
Clover Creek, WA$1,814$95,061Compare
Scappoose, OR$1,750$97,708Compare
Citrus Heights, CA$1,827$82,314Compare
Citrus Heights, CAScappoose, ORClover Creek, WAHughson, CALake Nacimiento, CALake NacimientoHughsonClover CreekScappooseLake NacimientoHughsonClover CreekScappoose

Common questions

Is Lake Nacimiento a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 295 hours a year commuting, more than in 99% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track. 32% of homes stand vacant, more than in 95% of places its size. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lake Nacimiento expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 23.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $504,200.

What salary do you need to live in Lake Nacimiento?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $71,720 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lake Nacimiento?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Hughson, CA, Clover Creek, WA, Scappoose, OR and Citrus Heights, CA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Lake Nacimiento with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lake Nacimiento itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lake-nacimiento-california

Citytistics. “Lake Nacimiento, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lake-nacimiento-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.