Roseville vs Sparks
The short version
- Sparks is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Roseville area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $483,800 in Sparks and $661,400 in Roseville.
- Households earn more in Roseville ($119,288 vs $89,056 median).
- Roseville has the warmer winter: January highs of 57°F vs 48°F.
- Sparks gets far more snow: 21 inches a year vs 0.
- Roseville has more scorching days: 90 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 65.
- Roseville is growing faster: +13.2% since 2020 vs +3.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in Sparks (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
- Nevada has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Roseville, CA | Sparks, NV | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 167,302 | 111,902 |
| Growth since 2020 | +13.2% | +3.2% |
| People per square mile | 3,795 | 3,066 |
| Median age | 40.2 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44% | 28% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $119,288 | $89,056 |
| Median home value | $661,400 | $483,800 |
| Home value to income | 5.5× | 5.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,142 | $1,716 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 106.7 | 101.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 130.2 | 123.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $80,000 | $75,800 |
| Homeowners | 69% | 60% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 8.24% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.3 | 24.0 |
| Work from home | 24% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.2% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 5.9% | 8.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 57° / 41° | 48° / 26° |
| July high / low | 94° / 61° | 94° / 60° |
| Precipitation per year | 19 in | 7 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 21 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 90 | 65 |
| Nights below freezing | 4 | 122 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.1 | 96.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 35% | 50% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.1% | +3.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +19.9% | +30.3% |
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: Roseville: February to May and October to November. Sparks: May to June and September.
Full monthly tables: Roseville weather by month and Sparks 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 Roseville and $75,800 in Sparks. Moving from Roseville to Sparks, you would need about $71,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Roseville and Sparks
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Roseville and Sparks.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.