Los Angeles County, CA

The selected direct-evidence set shows a wide asking-rent screen, not a single county price. In June 2026, Zillow ZORI, the typical observed asking-rent index, runs from $1,966 in ZIP 90006 to $3,294 in ZIP 90025, a $1,328 spread; its median is $2,604. The county Zillow value is $2,808. That county figure is context only and does not replace ZIP-level observation. The practical decision is whether a particular listing's price, unit size, and lease terms fit a household budget relative to this selected range; a ZIP label does not answer that property-level question. Where reported, year-over-year ZORI movement ranges from a 2.34% decline to a 1.52% increase. Those changes describe past index movement, not a forecast.

Zillow, ACS, and HUD should remain separate tests. The ACS 2024 five-year survey places median gross rent across the selected ZCTAs between $1,464 and $2,488; these are survey estimates, not current Zillow asks. Separately, FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR is $3,070 in every displayed ZIP, an administrative standard rather than a market asking rent. The packet's Zillow-to-HUD comparison spans 64.0% to 107.3%. Neither the Zillow-ACS gap nor the Zillow-HUD gap measures affordability or a change in a like-for-like unit. Use Zillow to screen contemporaneous asking rents, ACS to contextualize survey-estimated rents, and HUD only where its administrative standard is relevant.

The ACS burden and vacancy measures frame a different trade-off. The ACS rent-burden share at 30% or more ranges from 47.3% to 64.8% in the displayed set, versus 57.7% for the county; a lower displayed burden reading does not itself establish a household's ability to pay a given lease. ACS vacancy ranges from 2.7% to 18.2%, while ACS renter share runs from 68.1% to 96.6%. Vacancy is a survey stock measure, not confirmation that a suitable unit is vacant today, so screen current listings and household budget separately from these area indicators. The two ranges should not be combined into a measure of access or market tightness.

Geography and coverage limit extrapolation. The displayed 12 ZIP/ZCTA matches are an ordered selection from 233 eligible direct-ZORI matches and represent 234,579 renter households, not a countywide inventory. ACS evidence is tabulated for Census ZCTAs, whose mapped areas only approximate postal delivery ZIP coverage. Display assignment follows the largest HUD residential-address county share; that share is 100.0% for every shown match, but the crosswalk method does not turn ZIPs into county boundaries. Before acting on any property, verify live advertised rent, bedroom count, fees, lease term, move-in date, availability, and the relevant administrative standard for the same bedroom count.