Counties With The Oldest Homes in California

There’s an undeniable charm that comes with pre-World War II American architecture, characterized by high ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, and ornate details. In fact, 11.4% of all housing units in America were built in 1939 or before, showing the popularity of the preservation of these units. Owning a piece of history can sometimes come with a cost: Many old homes come with asbestos, lead piping, knob-and-tube wiring, and other outdated building styles that can rack up a hefty price tag to modernize. However, with more and more modernized pre-war homes on the market, generally located just outside bustling downtown metros, investing in property that has withstood the test of time is an attractive prospect.

Stacker compiled a list of the counties in California with the oldest homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by median year the structure was built according to 2023 5-year estimates. Ties broken by the highest percentage of homes built before 1939.

The country’s domestic architecture is perhaps best characterized by a rugged individualism as opposed to the hybridization of disparate architectural elements. As Maya Angelou once perceptively observed, “the ache for home lives in all of us,” a phrase that has meant very different things to different people.

Modest or palatial, there is no shortage of noteworthy homes in the U.S. Log cabins constructed by industrious pioneers have dotted the landscape alongside traditional Native American dwellings ever since immigrant Swedes introduced them to the New World in 1638. The unprecedented personal fortunes amassed by the so-called “Robber Barons” at the close of the 19th century gave way to the construction of a staggering number of Gilded Age estates.

The ravages of time spared neither the sumptuous nor the humble. Stately mansions, often prohibitively costly to maintain in the modern era, were frequently neglected; simple structures were forgotten, discarded by their owners, and damaged by natural elements. However, the tireless efforts of architectural preservationists and local historical societies have saved many of these homes from demolition, leading to their inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and thereby safeguarding them for future generations.Keep reading to learn more about which counties in California have the oldest homes.

#58. Placer County

– Median year homes built: 1994
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.0% (5,203 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 2.0% (3,570 homes)
– Total homes built: 176,233

#57. Riverside County

– Median year homes built: 1990
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 2.1% (17,697 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.2% (10,516 homes)
– Total homes built: 860,042

#56. Madera County

– Median year homes built: 1988
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.4% (1,728 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.4% (704 homes)
– Total homes built: 50,368

#55. Imperial County

– Median year homes built: 1988
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.4% (1,980 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (505 homes)
– Total homes built: 57,511

#54. San Benito County

– Median year homes built: 1988
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.7% (1,613 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.9% (406 homes)
– Total homes built: 20,937

#53. Calaveras County

– Median year homes built: 1987
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.4% (939 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (146 homes)
– Total homes built: 27,579

#52. Mariposa County

– Median year homes built: 1986
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.3% (324 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 9,796

#51. Kings County

– Median year homes built: 1986
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.5% (2,553 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.1% (502 homes)
– Total homes built: 46,695

#50. Yuba County

– Median year homes built: 1985
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.4% (1,313 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 2.1% (635 homes)
– Total homes built: 30,089

#49. Kern County

– Median year homes built: 1984
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.2% (12,695 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (2,386 homes)
– Total homes built: 304,481

#48. Merced County

– Median year homes built: 1984
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.4% (3,945 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.2% (1,108 homes)
– Total homes built: 89,610

#47. El Dorado County

– Median year homes built: 1983
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.0% (2,799 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (854 homes)
– Total homes built: 94,258

#46. San Bernardino County

– Median year homes built: 1983
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.7% (27,687 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (7,004 homes)
– Total homes built: 738,535

#45. Nevada County

– Median year homes built: 1983
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.7% (2,557 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (465 homes)
– Total homes built: 53,981

#44. San Luis Obispo County

– Median year homes built: 1983
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.0% (6,292 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (1,247 homes)
– Total homes built: 124,871

#43. Tulare County

– Median year homes built: 1983
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.2% (7,931 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (1,575 homes)
– Total homes built: 152,542

#42. San Joaquin County

– Median year homes built: 1983
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.0% (17,874 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (3,744 homes)
– Total homes built: 256,826

#41. Amador County

– Median year homes built: 1983
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.7% (1,459 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (136 homes)
– Total homes built: 18,919

#40. Shasta County

– Median year homes built: 1982
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.1% (2,481 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (533 homes)
– Total homes built: 79,748

#39. Yolo County

– Median year homes built: 1982
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.8% (3,928 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (1,232 homes)
– Total homes built: 81,543

#38. Solano County

– Median year homes built: 1982
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.3% (8,719 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (1,267 homes)
– Total homes built: 163,455

#37. Del Norte County

– Median year homes built: 1982
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.4% (598 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (48 homes)
– Total homes built: 11,156

#36. Sutter County

– Median year homes built: 1981
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.1% (1,771 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (77 homes)
– Total homes built: 34,681

#35. Fresno County

– Median year homes built: 1981
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.2% (17,773 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.2% (4,093 homes)
– Total homes built: 342,003

#34. Alpine County

– Median year homes built: 1981
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.6% (89 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (11 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,587

#33. Stanislaus County

– Median year homes built: 1981
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.0% (10,982 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (734 homes)
– Total homes built: 184,240

#32. Tehama County

– Median year homes built: 1981
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.8% (2,146 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (76 homes)
– Total homes built: 27,456

#31. Lake County

– Median year homes built: 1980
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.8% (1,303 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (227 homes)
– Total homes built: 34,271

#30. San Diego County

– Median year homes built: 1980
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.1% (50,496 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (9,883 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,240,607

#29. Plumas County

– Median year homes built: 1980
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.6% (696 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (31 homes)
– Total homes built: 15,037

#28. Sacramento County

– Median year homes built: 1980
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.7% (28,193 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (5,503 homes)
– Total homes built: 593,616

#27. Mono County

– Median year homes built: 1980
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.9% (799 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (22 homes)
– Total homes built: 13,632

#26. Butte County

– Median year homes built: 1980
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.7% (6,124 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.7% (1,568 homes)
– Total homes built: 91,176

#25. Tuolumne County

– Median year homes built: 1979
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.7% (1,783 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (119 homes)
– Total homes built: 31,491

#24. Sonoma County

– Median year homes built: 1979
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.0% (16,433 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (2,054 homes)
– Total homes built: 206,319

#23. Colusa County

– Median year homes built: 1979
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.7% (1,034 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (2 homes)
– Total homes built: 8,157

#22. Contra Costa County

– Median year homes built: 1978
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.2% (18,054 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (2,789 homes)
– Total homes built: 426,585

#21. Glenn County

– Median year homes built: 1978
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.7% (1,178 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.4% (155 homes)
– Total homes built: 10,973

#20. Orange County

– Median year homes built: 1977
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 2.5% (28,385 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (8,626 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,138,473

#19. Ventura County

– Median year homes built: 1977
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.7% (10,824 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (1,853 homes)
– Total homes built: 294,651

#18. Trinity County

– Median year homes built: 1977
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.7% (629 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (21 homes)
– Total homes built: 8,122

#17. Mendocino County

– Median year homes built: 1977
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.7% (4,010 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (262 homes)
– Total homes built: 41,495

#16. Lassen County

– Median year homes built: 1977
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.4% (1,520 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (64 homes)
– Total homes built: 12,232

#15. Napa County

– Median year homes built: 1976
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.8% (4,872 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.1% (614 homes)
– Total homes built: 55,601

#14. Siskiyou County

– Median year homes built: 1976
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.5% (3,580 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (155 homes)
– Total homes built: 23,066

#13. Modoc County

– Median year homes built: 1976
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 16.6% (793 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,774

#12. Santa Clara County

– Median year homes built: 1975
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.7% (32,696 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (6,079 homes)
– Total homes built: 694,209

#11. Monterey County

– Median year homes built: 1975
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.3% (10,535 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (421 homes)
– Total homes built: 144,659

#10. Santa Barbara County

– Median year homes built: 1974
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.2% (13,025 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (738 homes)
– Total homes built: 159,766

#9. Sierra County

– Median year homes built: 1974
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.1% (359 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,099

#8. Inyo County

– Median year homes built: 1973
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.6% (912 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (22 homes)
– Total homes built: 9,500

#7. Santa Cruz County

– Median year homes built: 1973
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.1% (12,895 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (249 homes)
– Total homes built: 106,635

#6. Humboldt County

– Median year homes built: 1973
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.1% (8,837 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (273 homes)
– Total homes built: 62,625

#5. Alameda County

– Median year homes built: 1969
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.2% (121,185 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (5,484 homes)
– Total homes built: 630,726

#4. San Mateo County

– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.5% (24,317 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (1,520 homes)
– Total homes built: 285,558

#3. Marin County

– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.7% (14,222 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (264 homes)
– Total homes built: 111,860

#2. Los Angeles County

– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.4% (520,428 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (19,884 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,624,084

#1. San Francisco County

– Median year homes built: 1945
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 45.4% (186,855 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (2,897 homes)
– Total homes built: 411,542