What it's like to live in West Sacramento

West Sacramento is a smaller city in California with household incomes running above the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. West Sacramento deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and larger class sizes than the national average.

The good

  • Higher-than-average incomes

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Air quality concerns
  • High student-teacher ratio
  • Hot summers

How West Sacramento compares

Median household income

West Sacramento$93,188
California avg$99,122
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

West Sacramento$1,665
California avg$2,036
US$1,413

Median home value

West Sacramento$525,800
California avg$734,700
US$332,700

What it takes to move to West Sacramento

Based on West Sacramento's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,330

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $66,600 a year
  • 50% of West Sacramento renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$105,160

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $52,580
  • Homes cost 5.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 18% above US

$1,665/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,665 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $525,800. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $525,800 · 50% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▲ 19% above US

5.1% unemployment

Unemployment here is 5.1%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.

City-level (BLS)

SafetyNear US average

327 violent crimes per 100k

Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.

Property crime 1710/100k · West Sacramento Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

25 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 24.7 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; 19% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
67%
Work from home
19%
Carpool
9.1%
Walk
2.1%
Other
2.0%
Public transit
1.0%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 40°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
30°50°70°90°110°4"Jan: 3.66" precipitationFeb: 3.49" precipitationMar: 2.68" precipitationApr: 1.26" precipitationMay: 0.75" precipitationJun: 0.23" precipitationJul: 0.00" precipitationAug: 0.04" precipitationSep: 0.09" precipitationOct: 0.85" precipitationNov: 1.66" precipitationDec: 3.43" precipitationJJan: high 56°F, low 39°FFFeb: high 61°F, low 42°FMMar: high 66°F, low 45°FAApr: high 72°F, low 47°FMMay: high 80°F, low 52°FJJun: high 88°F, low 57°F93°JJul: high 93°F, low 59°FAAug: high 92°F, low 59°FSSep: high 89°F, low 57°FOOct: high 79°F, low 50°FNNov: high 65°F, low 43°F39°DDec: high 56°F, low 39°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

35% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 35% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

17 public schools inside the boundary

There are 17 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 21:1, above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (43 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

West Sacramento's strongest point is household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,665/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (19% of workers here already work from home).

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