A new RentCafe report finds several California cities, including Fresno and Sacramento, rank highly for homeownership by the first digitally native generation..
Where are members of Gen Z putting down roots?
A new RentCafe report finds several California cities, including Fresno and Sacramento, rank highly for homeownership by the first digitally native generation.
Members of Gen Z, also known as “zoomers,” are typically defined as those born between 1997 and 2012.
Here’s what to know:
What are top California cities for Gen Z homeowners?
Fresno has the highest share of Gen Z members who are homeowners in California at 24%, the study found. That also put the city at No. 12 nationally.
The number of Gen Z homeowners in Fresno soared to 4,311 in 2023 from 337 in 2018. That’s a 1,179% increase.
In Sacramento, 12.3% of homeowners are from Gen Z, making it No. 4 in the state, RentCafe said in an email to The Sacramento Bee.
The number of homes owned among this cohort grew by 796% in five years, jumping from 684 to 6,130, the publication said.
Elsewhere in California, Riverside saw a fivefold jump in Gen Z homeownership with 22.5% owning homes, ranking second in the state and 17th in the nation.
Bakersfield reported Gen Z members owning 20.7% of homes.
But San Jose ranks at the bottom nationally, with Gen Z accounting for just 5% of homeowners.
What are top U.S. cities for Gen Z homeowners?
Ogden, Utah took the No. 1 spot nationally in the report, with Gen Z accounting for more than 40% of homeowners, RentCafe said.
Other top-ranking U.S. cities for homeownership by the cohort include Detroit; Birmingham; Jackson, Mississippi; Greenville, South Carolina; Wichita, Louisville, St. Louis, Omaha and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
What about renters?
California and Texas rank among the top states for Gen Z renters, RentCafe reported.
Nearly 95% of renters in San Jose are from this generation. San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles also ranked highly for Gen Z renters at 90% or higher.
Across the United States, Lafayette, Indiana; College Station, Texas; Gainesville, Florida; Austin; Raleigh; and Fayetteville, Arkansas, also make the Top 10.
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Don Sweeney has been a newspaper reporter and editor in California for more than 35 years. He is a service reporter based at The Sacramento Bee.