Southern California rent prices rise most in Orange County

Southern California rent prices climbed slightly in September, with Orange County recording the sharpest increase among six counties, according to an analysis by Apartment List.

Data reviewed by the Daily News on October 7 showed that across 50 cities in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties, the median rent rose 0.4% from a year earlier.

Orange County led all regions with a 1.4% increase, bringing the median rent to $2,576, the highest level among Southern California counties. Within the county, Santa Ana saw the steepest rise at 4.4%, while Laguna Niguel recorded the largest drop at 4.1%.

In Ventura County, median rent climbed 0.8% to $2,475. Ventura city posted a 3.6% increase, the biggest local jump, while Thousand Oaks saw a 0.3% decline.

Los Angeles County rents rose 0.3% to $2,090, with the biggest gains in Burbank (up 2.2%), while West Covina rents fell 1.5%.

In contrast, rent prices dipped slightly in San Diego County (down 0.1%), Riverside County (down 0.9%), and San Bernardino County (down 1.4%).

Across the state, only 20 cities reported rent declines—far fewer than a year ago, when prices fell in 30 cities and the median rent dropped 1%. The steepest decline last year was in Santa Monica, where rents fell 6.4%.

Analysts attribute the shift to California’s ongoing housing imbalance and recent natural disasters. Despite high homeownership costs pushing more families toward rentals, new construction has slowed as developers face rising costs and reduced profitability.

The wildfire that struck Los Angeles County in January also destroyed many homes, worsening the housing shortage. Rent increases were most pronounced near affected areas, particularly in Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange counties. Of the 30 cities in those three counties, 24 recorded rent increases over the past year.

Meanwhile, in San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, only six of 20 tracked cities saw rent gains.

Statewide, California’s median rent rose 1.3% year over year to $2,198, while the national average fell 0.8% to $1,394, underscoring a widening affordability gap between California and the rest of the country.

BY HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]