How old are houses in Modesto? New report shows when most homes were built in the area

Housing across the United States is not only getting more expensive but also older — and Modesto homes are no exception.

The median sales price for a single-family home in Stanislaus County averages $470,000, according to the most recent home sales and price report from the California Association of Realtors.

A new study from Construction Coverage, which helps builders and real estate professionals with business decisions, used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates to “determine the locations with the oldest homes” across the country.

Here’s how old Modesto homes are and where the metro ranks nationally:

How old are Modesto homes?

The median age of a house in Modesto is 40 years old, with the median year of houses built in 1982, the study found.

Approximately 47% of Modesto homes were built before 1980, and about 7% of homes were built before 1940.

Only about 5% homes have been built in Modesto since 2010, the study found.

The oldest home in Modesto sits in the downtown area on a quarter-block of land at Burney and Lane streets, The Bee previously reported. The roughly 1,000-square-foot house was built in 1865.

How do Modesto homes compare to other metros across the U.S.?

In the United States, Modesto ranked 178th for oldest homes out of 384 metro areas included in the study.

Modesto ranked 11th for oldest homes out of California’s metros before the cities of Redding and Vallejo, the study shows.

The San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley area topped No. 1 for oldest homes in California, with the median age of a house being 54 years old and the median year of houses built in 1968. While approximately 66% of homes were built before 1980, about 20% were built before 1940. Only about 8% of homes have been built in the area since 2010.

Overall, Altoona, Pennsylvania, ranked above all other metros in the country.

The median home age of a house in the Pennsylvanian city is 65 years old, with the median year of houses built in 1957. Almost 80% of the city’s homes were built before 1980, and approximately 28% were built before 1940. Since 2010, only about 3% of homes were built.

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.