The Leaving LA Report: where LA equity goes furthest (2026)
LA home equity is one of the most portable assets in the country. This report measures how far it travels: what $1 million buys in 25 markets, how LA homes are selling zip by zip, and where Californians are actually going.
Key findings
- About 662,000 people moved from California to another state in 2024. The top destinations were Texas (about 77,200), Nevada (about 53,300), and Arizona (about 52,400). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024.
- 23 of the 25 destination markets we track had a lower median sale price than the typical LA County zip code ($904K). Source: Redfin Data Center, May 2026 (markets) and Mar 2026 to May 2026 (LA).
- $1 million buys about 1,700 square feet at the LA County median price per square foot ($588), versus about 3,160 in the median tracked destination. Source: Redfin Data Center, May 2026 and Mar 2026 to May 2026.
- San Antonio, TX stretches LA equity furthest of the 25 markets: about 6,540 square feet per $1 million ($153 per sq ft), 3.8 times the LA figure. San Diego, CA is the closest to LA at about 1,440. Source: Redfin Data Center, May 2026.
- In 116 of 229 LA County zip codes with at least 10 sales (51%), homes sold at or above list price on average. Source: Redfin Data Center, Mar 2026 to May 2026.
- The fastest-selling LA County zip codes with at least 15 sales were 90201 (Bell Gardens) and 90503 (Torrance), tied at 22 median days on market, versus 44 for the typical LA County zip. Source: Redfin Data Center, Mar 2026 to May 2026.
- Typical sale prices across LA County zip codes with at least 10 sales ranged from about $393K in 93591 (Palmdale) to about $6.4M in 90210 (Beverly Hills). Source: Redfin Data Center, Mar 2026 to May 2026.
Where $1 million goes furthest
Each market ranked by how many square feet $1 million buys at its median price per square foot. A rough illustration of buying power, not a listing.
| Rank | Market | Median sale | $/sq ft | Sq ft per $1M | vs LA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical LA County zip | $904K | $588 | 1,700 | 1.0x | |
| 1 | San Antonio, TX | $265K | $153 | 6,540 | 3.8x |
| 2 | Houston, TX | $368K | $183 | 5,460 | 3.2x |
| 3 | Raleigh, NC | $424K | $231 | 4,330 | 2.5x |
| 4 | Charlotte, NC | $443K | $249 | 4,020 | 2.4x |
| 5 | Orlando, FL | $415K | $254 | 3,940 | 2.3x |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $470K | $261 | 3,830 | 2.3x |
| 7 | Dallas, TX | $512K | $262 | 3,820 | 2.2x |
| 8 | Henderson, NV | $490K | $265 | 3,770 | 2.2x |
| 9 | Nashville, TN | $483K | $277 | 3,610 | 2.1x |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $468K | $279 | 3,580 | 2.1x |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $415K | $284 | 3,520 | 2.1x |
| 12 | Tampa, FL | $445K | $300 | 3,330 | 2.0x |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $570K | $316 | 3,160 | 1.9x |
| 14 | Boise, ID | $540K | $320 | 3,130 | 1.8x |
| 15 | Portland, OR | $562K | $327 | 3,060 | 1.8x |
| 16 | Reno, NV | $584K | $330 | 3,030 | 1.8x |
| 17 | Sacramento, CA | $507K | $335 | 2,990 | 1.8x |
| 18 | Denver, CO | $650K | $367 | 2,720 | 1.6x |
| 19 | Salt Lake City, UT | $580K | $373 | 2,680 | 1.6x |
| 20 | Bend, OR | $778K | $400 | 2,500 | 1.5x |
| 21 | Scottsdale, AZ | $933K | $430 | 2,330 | 1.4x |
| 22 | Miami, FL | $650K | $535 | 1,870 | 1.1x |
| 23 | Seattle, WA | $901K | $571 | 1,750 | 1.0x |
| 24 | New York, NY | $899K | $639 | 1,560 | 0.9x |
| 25 | San Diego, CA | $970K | $693 | 1,440 | 0.8x |
Redfin Data Center. Markets: May 2026, city-level, all residential. LA: median of LA County zip-code medians, Mar 2026 to May 2026. Square feet per $1 million = 1,000,000 divided by median price per square foot, rounded to the nearest 10.
The fastest-selling LA zip codes
LA County zip codes with at least 15 sales, ranked by median days on market.
| Rank | Zip | Place | Days on market | Median sale | Sale-to-list | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90201 | Bell Gardens | 22 | $807K | 100.3% | 18 |
| 2 | 90503 | Torrance | 22 | $1.32M | 101.3% | 67 |
| 3 | 91108 | San Marino | 23 | $3.11M | 105.1% | 28 |
| 4 | 90248 | Gardena | 24 | $810K | 101.9% | 19 |
| 5 | 90504 | Torrance | 24 | $1.05M | 101.8% | 46 |
| 6 | 90650 | Norwalk | 25 | $750K | 101.6% | 105 |
| 7 | 91011 | La Canada Flintridge | 25 | $2.56M | 104.1% | 44 |
| 8 | 91103 | Pasadena | 26 | $1.29M | 105.6% | 38 |
| 9 | 91030 | South Pasadena | 26 | $1.92M | 109.2% | 39 |
| 10 | 90703 | Cerritos | 27 | $1.19M | 103.5% | 61 |
Redfin Data Center, Mar 2026 to May 2026. Ties are ordered by zip code. Every LA zip with at least 10 sales: selling a home in LA, by zip code.
Methodology
- LA zip figures: Redfin Data Center zip code data for 254 LA County zip codes, Mar 2026 to May 2026 (rolling three months): median sale price, median price per square foot, median days on market, average sale-to-list ratio and homes sold, all residential unless a home type is named.
- Typical LA County zip: the median of the zip-code medians across those 254 zip codes ($904K, $588 per sq ft, 44 days on market). It is not a countywide median of all sales.
- Destination markets: Redfin Data Center city-level monthly medians for 25 markets, May 2026.
- At or above list: zip codes with at least 10 sales whose average sale-to-list ratio was 100% or higher.
- Fastest-selling: zip codes with at least 15 sales, ranked by median days on market.
- Moves out of California: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 state-to-state migration flows; estimates with margins of error, rounded here.
- Place names: GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0). Postal place names don't match neighborhood or city boundaries.
Every figure on this page is computed from the published data files when the site builds. Medians are a rough guide and hide a wide range of homes. More on our sources: sources and methodology.
How to cite
Media contact
Tyler Drinkwater, Revel Real Estate, CA DRE #02112336. Call or text 310-881-8759, or email tyler@tylerdrinkwater.com.
