Sell Your Commercial Property Fast In Sacramento, CA

Who rents in Sacramento

Sacramento is close to an even split between owners and renters. The 2020–2024 American Community Survey counts 528,706 residents in 200,321 occupied homes, and 96,750 of those homes, or 48.3%, are rented. Median household income is $87,321.

The suburbs named on our Sacramento page are more owner-oriented. ACS 2020–2024 figures put Rancho Cordova at 41.8% renters and Citrus Heights at 39.3%, while Roseville is at 31.2% and Elk Grove at 26.2%. Incomes rise as renter share falls: Elk Grove's median household income is $125,924 and Roseville's is $119,288, compared with $82,314 in Citrus Heights. Roseville sits in Placer County; the other three are in Sacramento County.

Health care is a major employment anchor. UC Davis Health reports 19,144 employees in the Sacramento region and says its spending supported another 11,050 regional jobs, based on 2023 figures. The same study put the health system's 2023 direct spending at $1.84 billion and its total economic impact across the seven-county Sacramento region at $4.01 billion. Its Sacramento campus is also home to Aggie Square, an innovation district whose first phase was scheduled to open in May; UC Davis Health expects it to support 3,200 jobs a year once all phases are built, and its construction to account for more than 12,100 construction-related jobs in the region.

Rents and affordability

Median gross rent in Sacramento was $1,779 a month over 2020–2024. Rancho Cordova's median was similar at $1,787, Citrus Heights' was $1,827, and the two newer, higher-income suburbs were well above the city: Roseville at $2,142 and Elk Grove at $2,262.

Even at those levels, 53.5% of the city's renter households pay 30% or more of income on rent and 27.1% pay at least half, per ACS table B25070. Roseville's 30%-plus share is 55.5%, higher than the city's even though Roseville's incomes are higher. The share paying half or more of income is 31.0% in Roseville, 26.4% in Citrus Heights, 25.4% in Elk Grove and 24.8% in Rancho Cordova.

Sacramento's cost advantage over the Bay Area is easy to see in HUD's numbers. The FY2026 two-bedroom fair market rent for the Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade area is $2,255, against $3,604 for the San Francisco HMFA and $2,912 for the Oakland-Fremont HMFA. The full Sacramento schedule from HUD is below:

Fair market rents set the baseline for Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. The Sacramento two-bedroom FMR is above the city's median gross rent, so voucher tenancies can pay competitive rents in older buildings.

The apartment stock

Of Sacramento's 212,485 housing units, 50,481, or 23.8%, are in buildings with five or more units, per ACS table B25024. Small buildings are a large part of that: 16,108 units are in 5–9 unit buildings and 10,412 in 10–19 unit buildings, together more than half of the 5+ stock. Another 7,479 units are in 20–49 unit buildings and 16,482 in buildings of 50 or more.

The city's housing is middle-aged to old. The median year built is 1977, 53.6% of units predate 1980 and 29.8% predate 1960, per table B25034. Only 8.4% were built in 2010 or later. The suburbs split sharply: Citrus Heights' median year built is 1977 and only 1.5% of its homes were built since 2010, while Roseville's median is 1998 and 20.6% of its homes date from 2010 or later. Rancho Cordova has 13.2% built since 2010 and Elk Grove 12.6%.

Apartments make up a smaller share of housing in the suburbs. In Rancho Cordova, 19.9% of homes are in 5+ unit buildings, including 2,273 units in complexes of 50 or more. Citrus Heights is at 18.6%, with its largest group, 2,268 units, in small 5–9 unit buildings. Roseville is at 15.5%, with 3,807 units in 50+ unit complexes, and Elk Grove at 8.7%, the lowest of the group. A seller of a small building in Citrus Heights is in a different market from a seller of a newer complex in Roseville.

For a buyer, that means two different products. Older 5–19 unit buildings in the city and in Citrus Heights trade on in-place rents and capital needs, while newer complexes in Roseville and Elk Grove are more likely to be exempt from the state rent cap because of their age.

Property taxes in Sacramento County

Proposition 13 sets the framework. According to the Board of Equalization, the base tax rate is 1% of assessed value plus voter-approved bonded debt, and the assessed value of a property that has not changed hands can increase by no more than 2% a year. Change in ownership triggers a reappraisal to market value, and the BOE's Assessors' Handbook 401 applies the same rule when someone acquires more than 50% of the entity that owns the property. Supplemental assessments then bill the new owner for the difference for the rest of the fiscal year.

The county assessor values every property as of the January 1 lien date. If market value falls below the Prop 13 base, a temporary decline-in-value reduction is available, and owners can appeal to the county's assessment appeals board, where the filing window runs from July 2 to either September 15 or November 30 depending on the county. For a seller, an appeal history and any temporary reductions should be disclosed so a buyer can project taxes accurately.

On the transfer itself, the state allows counties to levy a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value, with cities allowed to add up to half that county rate. Sellers of a long-held building should expect a buyer's pro forma to show a much higher tax line than their own operating statement.

Rent caps and local compliance

Inside city limits, Sacramento runs its own Tenant Protection Program. Landlords of covered units must register them every year and pay an annual fee of $20 per unit. Increases are capped at 5% plus the change in CPI, updated annually; effective July 1, 2026, the maximum increase is 8.6%. Landlords must offer to renew the lease once a tenant has stayed more than 12 months plus one day, and evictions after 12 months require just cause.

Outside the city, in Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Roseville, the state Tenant Protection Act is the main limit: 5% plus regional CPI or 10%, whichever is lower, with an exemption for units whose certificate of occupancy was issued in the previous 15 years. The act remains in effect until January 1, 2030. Costa-Hawkins keeps local rent control off units with a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995. Statewide, Civil Code 1950.5 limits most deposits to one month's rent and requires return within 21 days, and CCP 1161 sets a three-day nonpayment notice excluding weekends and judicial holidays.

What this means if you own a building here

A Sacramento seller's numbers are shaped by three local facts: a city rent cap that resets each July, a $20 per-unit annual registration, and a Prop 13 tax base that will jump at sale. Buyers will want the registration history and the rent increase record for each unit, and they will underwrite your trailing net operating income against a reassessed tax bill. Older small buildings in the city may also carry deferred roof, plumbing and electrical work that shows up in inspection.

To see what your building might be worth, try our apartment building value calculator. Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings in Sacramento, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Roseville, and our seller page explains how we work with owners.