Sacramento and Stockton rank among the hardest and most expensive U.S. cities to find a starter home, a study showed.
Paradoxically, Stockton also ranked as one of the easier cities within California to find starter homes, a spokesperson for Best Money said.
Based on Redfin data from the last three years across more than 60 major U.S. cities, the Best Money team calculated which cities are the easiest and hardest to find starter homes.
The study found that starter homes “seem to be disappearing,” a Feb. 12 report said.
“The modern housing market has reshaped what it means to be a first-time home buyer,” the report said. “From house flippers to downsizers, the houses that once served as entry points for first-time buyers are increasingly hard to find.”
Here’s what you need to know:
The study found that starter homes “seem to be disappearing,” a Feb. 12 report said. The Good Brigade Getty Images Where does Sacramento rank for starter homes?
Sacramento ranks as the 19th hardest city in the United States to find a starter home, Best Money said.
It’s the 12th most expensive in the nation with an average starter home price of $464,403 for an average of 1,360 square feet.
Starter homes account for 16.3% of home sales in Sacramento, Best Money said. Of the 56,707 homes sold in the last three years, 9,216 were starter homes.
Where does Stockton rank for starter homes?
Stockton ranks as the 16th most expensive U.S. city for buying a starter home, with an average price of $423,200 for 1,342 square feet on average, Best Money said.
Out of 21,018 homes sold in Stockton in the last three years, 17.2% or 3,616 were starter homes.
While that figure ranks poorly against other U.S. cities, it turns out to be among the better ones within California, a spokesperson for the publication said. That makes Stockton both one of the hardest U.S. cities for starter homes but also one of the easiest in California.
What California cities are the worst for finding starter homes?
Los Angeles comes in 5th in the U.S. for difficulty finding starter homes, and San Diego comes in 8th, according to the Best Money report.
What California cities are the best for finding starter homes?
No California cities made the U.S. rankings for ease of finding starter homes. But in California, Bakersfield and San Francisco rank with Stockton as the cities with the largest stocks of starter homes based on sales over the past three years.
In Bakersfield, the average price of a starter home is $292,000, making it the most affordable within California for first-time home buyers, Best Money said.
Where do other US cities rank?
Honolulu, New York and Las Vegas top the U.S. list of cities where it’s hardest to find starter homes, the study said.
Memphis, Columbus and St. Louis top the list of U.S. cities where it’s easiest to find starter homes.
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This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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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.