What it's like to live in Placerville
Placerville is a small city in California with rent below the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Placerville deals with home prices well above the national average, household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, and commute times longer than most cities.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Clean air
The not so good
- High home prices
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Above-average commute times
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Placerville compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Placerville
Based on Placerville's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,468
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $49,360 a year
- 63% of Placerville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$94,620
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $47,310
- Homes cost 7.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 13% below US
$1,234/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,234 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are steep, with a median around $473,100. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $473,100 · 63% 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▲ 36% above US
449 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1170/100k · Placerville Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% 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
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 35% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (81 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Placerville's strongest points are rent below the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,234/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and remote workers (16% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Placerville
All California guides →Moving to Diamond Springs →
3 mi away · pop. 10,927
Rent $1,682/mo · Income $77,219
Compare with Placerville →Moving to Cameron Park →
11 mi away · pop. 18,315
Rent $1,806/mo · Income $102,289
Compare with Placerville →Moving to El Dorado Hills →
16 mi away · pop. 51,026
Rent $2,552/mo · Income $165,349
Compare with Placerville →Not sure Placerville is the one?
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