California · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area

Buying a home in Hawthorne, California

In Hawthorne, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $863,400, Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate is 0.68%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $11,266 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,782 a month.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Hawthorne home costs, fact by fact

About Hawthorne

Hawthorne lies in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, and only 27.2% of its homes are owner-occupied. Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate (median tax as a share of home value) is 0.68%, and HUD's two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,964.

Reading the Hawthorne figures

Hawthorne combines high values with a heavily rental housing stock. Owners put the median at $863,400, above California's $770,700, and it ranks beside the covered cities in the upper range of this list: Lake Forest reports $937,000 and Oakland owners estimate $929,900. Los Angeles owners put homes at $921,200, San Diego owners at $906,700 and Fullerton owners at $902,600. San Marcos stands at $868,000, just above Hawthorne, and Westminster, Hayward, San Leandro and Anaheim fall between $858,300 and $831,200. Ventura and Simi Valley come in lower still, at $827,300 and $823,800. All of these are owner estimates, not sale prices. Hawthorne lies in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, which has a population of 12,927,614, and the city itself counts 83,633 residents. Fullerton, San Marcos and Hayward owners report between $902,600 and $854,400, so the nearby values in this list are closely packed.

Only 27.2% of homes are owner-occupied, a lower share than any city named here: owners hold 36% of homes in Los Angeles, 42.3% in Oakland, 47.3% in San Diego and 70.5% in Lake Forest. Rent therefore matters as much as price. Renters pay a median of $1,782 monthly, well below HUD's Fair Market Rent of $2,964 for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area; HUD's number is a benchmark, not a market median. Oakland renters report $1,979 and Los Angeles renters $1,933, both above Hawthorne, while San Diego renters report $2,313 and Lake Forest renters $2,672, well above it. Fullerton renters report $2,194 and San Marcos renters $2,348, and Hayward renters $2,391, all above Hawthorne's figure. Owner-occupancy in San Marcos (63.7%) and Fullerton (51.8%) is also well above Hawthorne's. Westminster renters report $2,168, Anaheim renters $2,175 and Ventura renters $2,198, all above Hawthorne. Owner-occupancy is 53.4% in Westminster, 46.2% in Anaheim and 55.9% in Ventura, far above Hawthorne's 27.2%.

Los Angeles County's median yearly taxes, $5,675, sit against a county value of $834,200 and an effective rate of 0.68%. Because Hawthorne's own value is higher than the county's, a buyer could face a bill above the county figure. The county's 32,309 loans in 2025 had a median charge of $11,266, with a typical band stretching from $7,619 to $18,640. That spread is wide, so comparing lender quotes matters here more than on pages for lower-cost counties. A buyer should remember that these loan figures cover the whole county and do not isolate Hawthorne, and that few owners here means the rental market is the larger part of the housing picture. Because the county rate is a share of value, a buyer can apply the 0.68% rate to a specific price to estimate an annual bill, then check it against the $5,675 median.

Calculate for California

If you buy

California state transfer tax

California has no state transfer tax; counties and cities may charge one.

Price$770,700
State transfer taxnot computed
Who paysSet by the purchase contract

Default price: the California median value of owner-occupied homes, $770,700 (Census ACS 2025). Not computed: No state tax. The tax is set by county and city, so it cannot be computed from the state alone. Who pays: Neither the state statute nor the City of Los Angeles FAQ assigns the tax; the purchase contract and escrow instructions decide. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. California transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: California state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Questions about buying a home in Hawthorne

How much is property tax in Hawthorne?

Homeowners in Los Angeles County pay a median $5,675 a year in property tax, 0.68% of the county median home value of $834,200 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Hawthorne?

Home-purchase mortgages in Los Angeles County carried median total loan costs of $11,266 in 2025; half of the 32,309 loans fell between $7,619 and $18,640 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Hawthorne?

California has no state transfer tax. Counties may charge $0.55 per $500 of value under the Documentary Transfer Tax Act, and cities such as Los Angeles add their own, with Measure ULA adding 4% or 5.5% on very high-priced sales.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Hawthorne?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Hawthorne ($863,400) equals 40.4 years of the median gross rent ($1,782 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Hawthorne?

Across California, the main hazards for home insurance are earthquake, wildfire, flood and landslide, and the insurer of last resort is California FAIR Plan. A standard California homeowners policy does not cover earthquake damage; insurers must offer earthquake coverage (Insurance Code 10081), and the FAIR Plan sells limited fire coverage up to $3 million for residential policyholders.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

California rules that apply in Hawthorne

Other large cities in California

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Sources

California · All states · Federal guides