CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

34.45° N · 117.62° W · GEOID 0657302

Piñon Hills

San Bernardino County, California · part of the Riverside, CA metro

CaliforniaPiñon Hills, CAPiñon HillsPiñon Hills

The short answer

Piñon Hills is home to 7,065 people. Median household income is $68,289 a year and median rent is $1,672 a month, 29.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $440,600, about 6.5x annual median household income.

The story in Piñon Hills is how fast things are changing. Housing became less affordable between 2019 and 2024: rent went from 24.3% to 29.4% of income. Also notable: Unemployment is 19.4%, against 5% in its closest peers.

0OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Piñon Hills scores better than 0% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 649th of 654 in California.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%8
Economy 20%18
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%11
Education 10%14
Commute 10%0
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
$1,672
22% above the median place
Median household income
$68,289
15% below the median place
Median home value
$440,600
38% above the median place
Unemployment
19.4%
298% 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 Piñon Hills

  • AffordabilityThe median rent takes 29.4% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 94% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • HousingThe median home costs 6.5 years of the median household's income, more than in 92% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Piñon Hills

San Bernardino County loses about 2.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in85,417
Moved out88,848
Net−3,431

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Los Angeles County, CA34,87218,695+16,177
Riverside County, CA17,63520,775−3,140
Orange County, CA6,4985,104+1,394
San Diego County, CA2,3032,928−625
Clark County, NV1,9353,018−1,083
Maricopa County, AZ9921,865−873
Kern County, CA707986−279

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$61K
Leavers$63K

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

Who moves here
4.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.1% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into San Bernardino County report $60,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $62,900.
Income you would need
$66,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,672 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,300 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $440,600.
Getting to work
49 minutes each way on average; 17.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Briar, TX matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
1.1%
46% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
4.4%
24% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$60,585
14% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePiñon HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.4%24% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.1%46% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-2.0233% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$60,58514% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$62,89511% below
02

What it costs to live here

Compared with the 24 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Oak Hills, CA, Franklin, CA and Lakeland South, WA), money left after rent here is lower: $47,400 against a typical $79,100.

Piñon Hills29.4%
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
$66,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
29.4%
44% above the median place
Home price to income
6.5x
70% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
30%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$47,100
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Piñon Hills, $1,672 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 Piñon Hills, but easier on the budget

Places that match Piñon Hills 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
Briar, TX9314.2% vs 29.4%$42,000Compare
Pilot Point, TX9217.5% vs 29.4%n/aCompare
Granite Shoals, TX9120.3% vs 29.4%n/aCompare
Drexel Heights, AZ8921.9% vs 29.4%$11,200Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Piñon Hills.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Piñon Hills? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.6%
31% below the median place
Homeownership1
80.1%
21% above the median place
Median year built1
1992
1% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasurePiñon HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,67222% above
Rent to income129.4%44% above
Property tax rate10.6%31% below
Home price to income16.5x70% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure106.46% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,10330% above
HUD area median income4County figure$106,5001% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,77915% below
Median home value1$440,60038% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.2%61% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure52.2%1% above
Homeownership180.1%21% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure58.5%16% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,30023% above
Vacant homes111.1%58% above
Median year built119921% above
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 310 hours a year commuting, more than in 99% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track.

Unemployment1
19.4%
298% above the median place
Mean commute1
49 min
98% above the median place
Poverty rate1
18.6%
72% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home17.4% +40%
Income per person$34,613 −14%
Median household income$68,289 −15%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePiñon HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$68,28915% below
Income per person1$34,61314% below
Unemployment119.4%298% above
Average annual pay6County figure$63,7493% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.2%41% below
Jobs6County figure848,961above (median 150,665)
Poverty rate118.6%72% above
Mean commute149 min98% above
Works from home117.4%40% above
Commutes by transit1County figure0.9%6% above
04

Who lives here

Household size is 3.0, 21% above the median place.

Household size1
3.0
21% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
17.0%
47% below the median place
High school or higher1
83.1%
10% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Born abroad19.8% 2.2×
Homes with broadband89.1% −4%
No health insurance8.7% +36%
Median age38.7 −1%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePiñon HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population17,0655364th largest
Median age138.71% below
Bachelor's or higher117.0%47% below
High school or higher183.1%10% below
Household size13.021% above
Born abroad119.8%124% above
No health insurance18.7%36% above
Homes with broadband189.1%4% below
05

Life in Piñon Hills

The nearest National Park Service site is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, about 61 miles away.

113 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents2.8 −72%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1.4 −87%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −86%

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

  • Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 61 miles
  • Cesar E. Chavez National Monument 76 miles
  • Mojave National Preserve 112 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars18.0 −13%
Shops24.4 −19%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.6 −37%
Doctors' offices and clinics18.5 −8%
Child care centers1.2 −48%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
60.8
97% above the median place
Public schools12
577
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students12
393,087
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasurePiñon HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure577above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure393,087above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure22.345% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure18.013% below
Shops per 10k8County figure24.419% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.637% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure18.58% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.248% below
Parks per 10k92.872% below
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k91.487% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.086% below
Nearest National Park Service site1060.897% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles100below (median 2)
National Register listings11County figure113above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Hurricane risk is 0.0, below the median place (median 70.7).

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 Piñon Hills. Larger places are fetched first.

Hurricane risk14
0.0
below the median place (median 70.7)
Annual precipitation13
6.6 in
85% below the median place
July average high13
101°F
16% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasurePiñon HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure101°F16% above
January average low13County figure39°F54% above
Average temperature13County figure67°F22% above
Annual precipitation13County figure6.6 in85% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure99.88% above
Hurricane risk14County figure0.0below (median 70.7)
Tornado risk14County figure78.83% below
Wildfire risk14County figure99.963% above
Heat wave risk14County figure98.49% above
Median air quality index15County figure7779% above
Good air days15County figure12.6%82% below
08

Piñon Hills in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 30% of the median income in 2030, up from 29% 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, Piñon Hills does better than 7% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 89%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,672/mo (2024)$2,190/mo$1,800 to $2,670/mo+4.6%
Median household income$68,289 (2024)$86,500$73,000 to $102,500+4.1%
Median home value$440,600 (2024)$656,000$476,000 to $903,000+6.9%

The median home would be worth 7.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 6.5 now.

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

09

Places like Piñon Hills

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

PlaceRentIncome
Perth Amboy, NJ$1,688$61,977Compare
Miami Gardens, FL$1,787$63,627Compare
Dover, NJ$1,825$73,737Compare
Makaha, HI$1,868$64,970Compare
Makaha, HIDover, NJMiami Gardens, FLPerth Amboy, NJPiñon Hills, CAPiñon HillsPerth AmboyMiami GardensDoverMakahaPiñon HillsPerth AmboyMiami GardensDoverMakaha

Places built like Piñon Hills

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 Piñon Hills performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Piñon Hills, CA29.4%5.5%/yrn/a
Oak Hills, CA20.4%3.0%/yrn/aCompare
Franklin, CA28.8%2.5%/yrn/aCompare
Lakeland South, WA20.6%6.9%/yrn/aCompare
Umatilla, OR20.2%10.4%/yr11.4%Compare
Buckley, WA19.2%10.0%/yr11.3%Compare
Silver Lakes, CA17.8%10.8%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Piñon Hills 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 649th of 654 in California. The median rent takes 29.4% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 94% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. The median home costs 6.5 years of the median household's income, more than in 92% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 31 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Piñon Hills expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 29.4% 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 $440,600.

What salary do you need to live in Piñon Hills?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $66,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Piñon Hills?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Perth Amboy, NJ, Miami Gardens, FL, Dover, NJ and Makaha, HI.

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 Piñon Hills with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Piñon Hills itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/pinon-hills-california

Citytistics. “Piñon Hills, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/pinon-hills-california/

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