42Alpha

Orange County, CA Housing Market Brief

county · CA · as of July 2026

Balanced

What is Orange County, CA’s Alpha Score?

The Alpha Score is a composite 0–100 index of market strength, a weighted blend of five dimensions. See the methodology.

Price Momentum20%
62
Inventory Health25%
51
Affordability20%
1
Economic Strength20%
59
Rental Yield15%
30

Where is Orange County, CA in its market cycle?

EmergingGrowingMaturePeakingDecliningRecovering

Orange County, CA is classified as Mature holding near a healthy peak. This is a classification of recent (1–12 month) momentum, not a price forecast.

What’s the forecast for Orange County, CA?

Our model forecasts Orange County, CA’s home prices to hold flat over the next 12 months (high confidence).

This is a separate, forward-looking view — not the cycle classification above. See how past forecasts performed on the track record, or the full local forecast with its confidence range on the market page.

Orange County, CA housing market data

MetricValueYoY
Median Sale Price$1.3M▲ +5%
Median Days on Market38 days▲ +8.6%
Months of Supply3.0-14.3%
Homes for Sale5,416-16.6%
Homes Sold1,830-1.3%
Median Price / Sq Ft$694▲ +1%

How has Orange County, CA’s Alpha Score moved?

Now: 42
12-period trend
Median sale price · 12 mo

Markets like Orange County, CA

Frequently asked questions

Is Orange County, CA a buyer's or seller's market?

As of July 2026, Orange County, CA is classified as a Balanced Market, based on its Alpha Score of 42 out of 100. The classification reflects current price, inventory, affordability, economic, and rental-yield conditions.

Are home prices rising or falling in Orange County, CA?

The median sale price in Orange County, CA is $1.3M, having risen 5% over the past year.

How affordable is Orange County, CA?

Orange County, CA scores 1 out of 100 on affordability — relatively unaffordable relative to local incomes and prevailing mortgage rates compared with other counties.

What's driving Orange County, CA's Alpha Score?

Orange County, CA's strongest dimension is Price Momentum (62/100) and its weakest is Affordability (1/100). The Alpha Score is a weighted blend of all five dimensions.

Want the live, interactive view of Orange County, CA? Open the full market dashboard — charts, ZIP-level drill-down, and watchlist tracking. Explore the map or read the methodology.