Housing in Central at a glance
- Population
- about 666,937
- Housing units
- about 349,770
- Median value, owner-occupied homes
- $1,384,000Los Angeles: $921,200 (+50%)
- Median gross rent
- $1,910 a monthLos Angeles: $1,933 (-1%)
- Owner-occupied homes
- 14.3%Los Angeles: 36%
- Homes built before 1980
- 65.5%
- Median year built
- 1965
Only 14.3% of Central's households own their home, the lowest share of the seven Los Angeles sectors and 21.7 points under the Los Angeles level. That renter-heavy profile coexists with a very high owner-estimated value, $1,384,000, 50% above the city and second of seven. Only West Los Angeles surpasses it, at $1,776,000, with East Los Angeles near $972,000 and South Los Angeles near $706,000. Rent is the odd one out: Central renters pay a median $1,910, within 1% of the city figure and fourth of seven, well under the $2,610 that West Los Angeles reports. Located east of the middle of town, the sector counts 666,937 residents and 268,355 renter households, and 65.5% of its homes come from before 1980; homes in the middle of the age range date from 1965.
Questions about Central
What is the median home value in Central, Los Angeles?
$1,384,000 for owner-occupied homes, against $921,200 for Los Angeles as a whole (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary). It is the owners' own estimate of their home's value, not a sale price.
What is the median rent in Central?
$1,910 a month in gross rent (rent plus utilities paid by the renter), against $1,933 in Los Angeles (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Do most people in Central own or rent?
Most rent: 14.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 36% in Los Angeles (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Data and method
Data as of: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (retrieved 2026-11-02).
Estimate from the 216 census tracts whose internal point lies within the official boundary: counts are summed, and each median is recomputed from the summed value, rent and year-built brackets (grouped median, linear interpolation). The gap with the city is measured with the same method on the whole city. Boundaries used: City of Los Angeles GIS (NavigateLA), Area Planning Commissions (consulted 2026-11-02).
Sector boundaries: Area Planning Commissions (7), Area Planning Commissions layer, NavigateLA (City of Los Angeles).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25001, B25003, B25034, B25063, B25064, B25075, B25077; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (census tract internal points). City figures: the same survey, published for Los Angeles as a whole. Home values are owners' estimates, not sale prices.
Near Central
The closest sectors of Los Angeles, by distance between population centres.
Other sectors of Los Angeles
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Five trades, one spot each
Payotte lists one professional per trade in Central. No one is listed yet: every spot is open.
- Real estate agentOpen spot
- Mortgage loan officerOpen spot
- Home inspectorOpen spot
- Real estate attorneyOpen spot
- AppraiserOpen spot
Work in one of these trades in Central? Ask for your spot.