CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

38.52° N · 121.46° W · GEOID 0641142

Lemon Hill

Sacramento County, California · part of the Sacramento, CA metro

CaliforniaLemon Hill, CALemon HillLemon Hill

The short answer

Lemon Hill is home to 15,312 people. Median household income is $48,762 a year and median rent is $1,421 a month, 35.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). That is above the usual 30% line for cost burden. The median home is valued at $349,900, about 7.2x annual median household income.

The story in Lemon Hill is how fast things are changing. Housing became less affordable between 2019 and 2024: rent went from 29.4% to 35% of income. Also notable: After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $31,100 a year, less than in 97% of places its size.

0OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Lemon Hill scores better than 0% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 640th of 654 in California.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%4
Economy 20%8
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%20
Education 10%2
Commute 10%49
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,421
4% above the median place
Median household income
$48,762
39% below the median place
Median home value
$349,900
10% above the median place
Unemployment
8.7%
79% 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.

01

Moving to Lemon Hill

Sacramento County loses about 4.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in51,321
Moved out57,099
Net−5,778

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Placer County, CA5,0888,918−3,830
Yolo County, CA3,3842,795+589
El Dorado County, CA2,0882,695−607
Alameda County, CA2,7361,527+1,209
Santa Clara County, CA2,7231,270+1,453

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$72K
Leavers$74K

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

Who moves here
4.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Sacramento County report $71,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $73,700.
Income you would need
$56,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,421 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,727 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $349,900.
Getting to work
25 minutes each way on average; 9.8% work from home; 3.6% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Morrow, GA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.9%
56% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-4.5
below the median place (median -0.6)
Moved here in the past year1
4.8%
17% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLemon HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.8%17% below
Moved from another state1County figure0.9%56% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-4.5below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$71,6742% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$73,6865% above
02

What it costs to live here

The median rent takes 35% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 98% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Lemon Hill35.0%
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
$56,840
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
35.0%
72% above the median place
Home price to income
7.2x
89% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
35%
over the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$31,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lemon Hill, $1,421 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lemon Hill, but easier on the budget

Places that match Lemon Hill on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Morrow, GA9024.7% vs 35.0%$25,600Compare
Bridgeton, NJ8628.8% vs 35.0%$9,200Compare
La Cresta, CA8628.5% vs 35.0%$3,300Compare
Winton, CA8524.3% vs 35.0%$11,000Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lemon Hill.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lemon Hill? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
39.6%
40% below the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
64.5%
28% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
32% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLemon HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4214% above
Rent to income135.0%72% above
Property tax rate10.6%32% below
Home price to income17.2x89% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure106.76% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,20136% above
HUD area median income4County figure$124,00016% above
Property tax paid (median)1$2,16234% below
Median home value1$349,90010% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure0.6%82% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure36.9%28% below
Homeownership139.6%40% below
Renters paying 30%+164.5%28% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7278% below
Vacant homes1County figure4.6%35% below
Median year built119641% below
03

Work and pay

OpenStreetMap shows 21.3 bus and rail stops per square mile, more than in 94% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Income per person1
$19,661
51% below the median place
Poverty rate1
32.0%
197% above the median place
Unemployment1
8.7%
79% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$48,762 −39%
Commutes by transit3.6% 4.3×
Works from home9.8% −21%
Mean commute25 min +1%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLemon HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$48,76239% below
Income per person1$19,66151% below
Unemployment18.7%79% above
Average annual pay6County figure$82,00324% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.3%38% below
Jobs6County figure733,061387% above
Poverty rate132.0%197% above
Mean commute125 min1% above
Works from home19.8%21% below
Commutes by transit13.6%326% above
04

Who lives here

Bachelor's or higher is 10.2%, 68% below the median place.

Bachelor's or higher1
10.2%
68% below the median place
High school or higher1
72.6%
21% below the median place
Median age1
28.7
26% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size3.4 +36%
Born abroad27.7% 3.1×
No health insurance8.9% +39%
Homes with broadband90.7% −2%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLemon HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population115,3122938th largest
Median age128.726% below
Bachelor's or higher110.2%68% below
High school or higher172.6%21% below
Household size13.436% above
Born abroad127.7%213% above
No health insurance18.9%39% above
Homes with broadband190.7%2% below
05

Life in Lemon Hill

OpenStreetMap shows 0 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 93% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 655 California places we track.

112 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.6 −55%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.7 −94%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi21.3 101.6×

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.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial 44 miles
  • John Muir National Historic Site 52 miles
  • Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site 57 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.5 −1%
Shops23.5 −22%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.2 −22%
Doctors' offices and clinics18.0 −11%
Child care centers2.1 −9%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
44.4
44% above the median place
Public school students12
259,342
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools12
387
above the median place (median 9)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLemon HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure387above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure259,342above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure23.251% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure20.51% below
Shops per 10k8County figure23.522% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.222% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure18.011% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.19% below
Parks per 10k94.655% below
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.794% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi921.3above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1044.444% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10350% above
National Register listings11County figure112above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 94°F, 8% above 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 Lemon Hill. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high13
94°F
8% above the median place
Annual precipitation13
19.5 in
55% below the median place
Wildfire risk14
95.9
57% above the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureLemon HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure94°F8% above
January average low13County figure39°F55% above
Average temperature13County figure62°F13% above
Annual precipitation13County figure19.5 in55% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure98.16% above
Tornado risk14County figure65.020% below
Wildfire risk14County figure95.957% above
Heat wave risk14County figure96.17% above
Median air quality index15County figure4914% above
Good air days15County figure54.2%21% below
08

Lemon Hill in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 36% of the median income in 2030, up from 35% 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. On projected 2030 affordability, Lemon Hill does better than 3% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 96%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,421/mo (2024)$1,850/mo$1,520 to $2,250/mo+4.5%
Median household income$48,762 (2024)$61,500$52,000 to $73,000+4.0%
Median home value$349,900 (2024)$531,000$385,000 to $731,000+7.2%

The median home would be worth 8.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 7.2 now.

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

09

Places like Lemon Hill

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

PlaceRentIncome
Hillcrest, CA$1,259$46,285Compare
Madera, CA$1,353$63,933Compare
West Modesto, CA$1,432$61,440Compare
Winton, CA$1,156$57,015Compare
Winton, CAWest Modesto, CAMadera, CAHillcrest, CALemon Hill, CALemon HillHillcrestMaderaLemon HillHillcrestMadera

Places built like Lemon Hill

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Lemon Hill performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Lemon Hill, CA35.0%4.3%/yrn/a
Parkway, CA28.3%7.9%/yrn/aCompare
Willowbrook, CA30.1%7.4%/yrn/aCompare
Hillcrest, CA32.6%-2.0%/yrn/aCompare
Westmont, CA34.8%5.5%/yrn/aCompare
Lindsay, CA22.8%11.1%/yr-0.7%Compare
Sunnyside, WA20.2%7.3%/yr0.3%Compare

Common questions

Is Lemon Hill a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 0 out of 100, better than 0% of the places we rate and 640th of 654 in California. On cost, space and class size it scores 4 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lemon Hill expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 35.0% 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 $349,900.

What salary do you need to live in Lemon Hill?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $56,840 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lemon Hill?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Hillcrest, CA, Madera, CA, West Modesto, CA and Winton, 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 Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Lemon Hill with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lemon Hill itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lemon-hill-california

Citytistics. “Lemon Hill, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lemon-hill-california/

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