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Cost question

Is Poplar-Cotton Center, CA expensive to live in?

A direct, data-backed answer using cost-of-living exposure, housing cost signals, rent pressure, and income context where the public dataset supports it.

Cost-of-living risk

64

/ 100

V2 relative score

Higher scores indicate higher cost pressure relative to the selected geography scope.

Direct answer

It appears more expensive than many comparable places.

Poplar-Cotton Center, CA has a cost-of-living risk score of 64, which is above the middle of comparable city-level locations. The data points to meaningful cost pressure, especially when housing costs consume a larger share of local income. This answer uses city-level data for Poplar-Cotton Center where the public dataset supports it.

Top drivers in this score

  • Rent growth (YoY)

    +6.9%

    Risk pressure percentile: 74

  • Median gross rent

    $1,044

    Risk pressure percentile: 69

  • Median home value

    $219,500

    Risk pressure percentile: 63

How this compares

Relative risk score63.9
Median (city-level locations)49.7
Delta vs median+14.2

Approximate percentile: 64 of 100

Coverage and confidence

Scope usedCity-level (place)
Metric coverage5/5
ConfidenceHigh confidence

Most core metrics are available at city level.

Cost signals

  • Median gross rent$1,044
  • Median home value$219,500
  • Median monthly housing costs$1,001
  • Rent as % of household income25.1%
  • Rent growth (YoY)+6.9%
  • Median household income$51,076

Scope: City-level (place) | Source: ACS 2023-2024 5-year | 2024

Why this matters

Cost of living affects financial risk because fixed costs can absorb income before households address debt, savings, transportation, healthcare, or emergency expenses. A higher score means local cost signals create more financial pressure relative to comparable places.

View full cost risk detail →

Common follow-up questions

Is Poplar-Cotton Center, CA expensive to live in?

Poplar-Cotton Center, CA has a cost-of-living risk score of 64, which is above the middle of comparable city-level locations. The data points to meaningful cost pressure, especially when housing costs consume a larger share of local income. This answer uses city-level data for Poplar-Cotton Center where the public dataset supports it.

What cost data is used for Poplar-Cotton Center?

FinancialRiskIQ uses public indicators such as median gross rent, monthly housing costs, home value, rent-to-income ratio, and rent growth when available. The current answer uses city-level (place) data from ACS 2023-2024 5-year (2024).

Why can a city answer use county or state data?

Some public financial datasets are not complete at city level. When city-level metrics are missing, FinancialRiskIQ falls back to county or state baselines and labels that scope so users know exactly what geography is being used.