© OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap
Moving to
El Dorado Hills.
El Dorado Hills is an unincorporated community in El Dorado County, CA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in El Dorado Hills
El Dorado Hills is a large unincorporated community in California with household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, a highly educated workforce, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. El Dorado Hills deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Clean air
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- High student-teacher ratio
- Hot summers
How El Dorado Hills compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to El Dorado Hills
Based on El Dorado Hills's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$5,104
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $102,080 a year
- 49% of El Dorado Hills renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$181,900
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $90,950
- Homes cost 5.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 81% above US
$2,552/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,552 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $909,500. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $909,500 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in El Dorado County is 5.0%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
El Dorado County (county-wide)
Safety
174 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
El Dorado Hills doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 477/100k · Policed by El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 23% above US
32 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 32 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 30% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 38°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 66% above US
60% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
15 public schools inside the boundary
There are 15 public schools inside the boundary and 6 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 25:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (66 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
El Dorado Hills's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,552/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (30% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
See all the data for El Dorado Hills →·All California cities →
Other places near El Dorado Hills
All California guides →Moving to Folsom →
4 mi away · pop. 83,916
Rent $2,352/mo · Income $139,804
Compare with El Dorado Hills →Moving to Cameron Park →
5 mi away · pop. 18,315
Rent $1,806/mo · Income $102,289
Compare with El Dorado Hills →Moving to Orangevale →
8 mi away · pop. 35,958
Rent $1,932/mo · Income $99,832
Compare with El Dorado Hills →Moving to Granite Bay →
9 mi away · pop. 21,673
Rent $2,740/mo · Income $184,606
Compare with El Dorado Hills →Not sure El Dorado Hills is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.