ZIP Code 90242 — Downey, California

The median home in 90242 is valued at $634,800 against a median household income of $81,448, a price-to-income ratio of 7.8. That is above the 6.7 median across the 1,558 California ZIP codes with published housing data, and well past the 3.0 ratio that marks an attainable market nationally, so buying here on a local median income requires substantial savings or a second income. Within Los Angeles County, 90242 ranks 87 of 275 ZIPs on affordability (1 = lowest ratio); the county median ratio is 9.2. Renting takes 26.9% of median household income (median rent $1,824 a month), under the 30% cost-burden threshold.

90242 ranks 869 of 1,558 statewide on median household income and 715 of 1,558 on median home value; its income is below the $87,339 Los Angeles County median. 49% of households own their home, below the 64% statewide ZIP median, so most residents rent. 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, below the 31% median, and the poverty rate is 8.8%, below the 10.8% statewide ZIP median. Unemployment stands at 4.7%.

With 9,263 residents per square mile across 4.5 square miles of land, 90242 is far denser than the statewide ZIP median of 1,120 (rank 185 of 1,558). This is a mixed urban fabric of apartments, small-lot houses and commercial corridors.