Rocklin vs Santa Clarita
The short version
- Rocklin is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Santa Clarita area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $703,400 in Rocklin and $784,700 in Santa Clarita.
- Santa Clarita has the warmer winter: January highs of 63°F vs 57°F.
- Rocklin is growing faster: +7.3% since 2020 vs -1.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Rocklin (26 vs 34 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Rocklin, CA | Santa Clarita, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 76,821 | 228,430 |
| Growth since 2020 | +7.3% | -1.9% |
| People per square mile | 3,872 | 3,103 |
| Median age | 38.4 | 38.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48% | 40% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $124,168 | $123,062 |
| Median home value | $703,400 | $784,700 |
| Home value to income | 5.7× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,258 | $2,544 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 106.7 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 130.2 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $80,000 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 68% | 72% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.1 | 34.1 |
| Work from home | 24% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.5% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 5.6% | 7.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 57° / 41° | 63° / 47° |
| July high / low | 94° / 61° | 94° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 19 in | 17 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 90 | 87 |
| Nights below freezing | 4 | 1 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 8 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.1 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 35% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.1% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +19.9% | +31.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Rocklin: February to May and October to November. Santa Clarita: October to May.
Full monthly tables: Rocklin weather by month and Santa Clarita weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $80,000 in Rocklin and $85,200 in Santa Clarita. Moving from Rocklin to Santa Clarita, you would need about $79,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Rocklin and Santa Clarita
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Rocklin and Santa Clarita.
Which would you pick?
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