Folks paying a fee to their homeowners association or condominium board can be a passionate group.
Several readers were irked by a recent column that detailed HOA fees on a state level, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2024 cost data was the first time the bureau has broken out this homeowner expense.
One complaint was that California’s $278 median monthly fee, as calculated by the bureau, didn’t align with critics’ reality. They pay far more, suggesting that statewide data somehow hides the highest fees.
Well, the median is the price where half pay more and half pay less. It’s a statistical tool that helps compare geographical patterns. For example, California’s median fees ranked ninth-highest among the states.
As a public service, my trusty spreadsheet took another dive into the census databases to examine how HOA fees vary at a local level – in 30 large counties across the Golden State.
The extremes
Who pays the most? Like many housing costs, association fees tend to be pricier closer to the ocean or the bay and cheaper inland.
Ponder which counties had the highest median monthly fees last year.
San Francisco was No. 1 with a median HOA fee of $550 in 2024. Then came San Mateo at $445, Marin at $399, Los Angeles at $370, and Santa Clara at $363.
The lowest median fees were found in Butte at $113, Fresno at $140, San Joaquin at $142, Shasta at $146 and Placer at $148.
HOA fees are more of a southern burden, as seen in the counties with the most fee-paying units.
Los Angeles had the most, with 314,655 residences charging HOA fees, followed by Orange at 287,171, San Diego at 246,964, Riverside at 172,259, and Alameda at 92,075. The lowest fees by county were in Napa at 2,988, Shasta at 3,100, Butte at 4,387, Yolo at 4,927 and Stanislaus at 7,459.
And in which county are these fees most likely to be found?
Orange has the highest share of HOA units of all owned homes at 46%. Then came San Diego at 38%, San Francisco at 34%, Ventura at 33%, and Riverside at 32%. Lowest? Shasta at 6%, Stanislaus at 7%, Fresno at 9%, Napa at 9%, and Butte at 10%.
Biggest players
Here is how 12 California counties with the most fee-paying housing units fare with various statistics on association fees, ranked by the number of units. Note which slice of the HOAs charged $400 or more per month …
Los Angeles: $370 median monthly fee (No. 4 of the 30 counties tracked) at 314,655 HOA units or 20% of all homes (No. 15) – with 45% of the fees at $400 or more.
Orange: $318 fee (No. 6) at 287,171 units or 46% of homes (No. 1) – 32% of fees $400-plus.
San Diego: $277 fee (No. 9) at 246,964 units or 38% of homes (No. 2) – 30% of fees $400-plus.
Riverside: $161 fee (No. 21) at 172,259 units or 32% of homes (No. 5) – 19% of fees $400-plus.
Alameda: $309 fee (No. 8) at 92,075 units or 28% of homes (No. 8) – 36% of fees $400-plus.
Santa Clara: $363 fee (No. 5) at 85,901 units or 24% of homes (No. 11) – 43% of fees $400-plus.
Contra Costa: $222 fee (No. 15) at 83,359 units or 29% of homes (No. 6) – 33% of fees $400-plus.
San Bernardino: $198 fee (No. 17) at 62,254 units or 14% of homes (No. 23) – 13% of fees $400-plus.
Sacramento: $158 fee (No. 22) at 61,230 units or 18% of homes (No. 17) – 14% of fees $400-plus.
Ventura: $242 fee (No. 11) at 61,204 units or 33% of homes (No. 4) – 28% of fees $400-plus.
San Francisco: $550 fee (No. 1) at 46,164 units or 34% of homes (No. 3) – 67% of fees $400-plus.
Placer: $148 fee (No. 26) at 33,855 units or 27% of homes (No. 10) – 10% of fees $400-plus.
Bigger picture
Statewide, the $278 median HOA fee is the midpoint of what is charged at 1.83 million units or 24% of all homes. For 31% of these units, the fees are $400 or higher.
Nationally, of course, it’s cheaper. The median fee of $135 is found at 21.6 million units or 25% of all homes, with 14% paying fees of $400-plus.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com