Home equity in Orange County, by the numbers
What the public record says about the county’s homes and the lines opened against them: 620,261 owner-occupied homes, a third of them with no mortgage at all, and 9,383 home equity lines originated in 2024 at a median of $185,000. Los Angeles County sits alongside at the county level for scale; the city-by-city figures are Orange County only. Updated as the sources update.
- Owner-occupied homes
- 620,261
- With no mortgage
- 35%
- Median home value
- $1,037,200
- HELOCs opened, 2024
- 9,383
- Median line
- $185,000
- Median home behind a line
- $1,275,000
Reviewed October 2026 · Matt Casillas, NMLS #339780 · sources and method at the end
Orange County and Los Angeles County, side by side
| Orange County | Los Angeles County | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied homes | 620,261 | 1,590,376 |
| Owned with no mortgage | 219,246 (35%) | 530,543 (33%) |
| Homeownership rate | 56% | 46% |
| Median owner-occupied value | $1,037,200 | $866,500 |
| Home equity lines opened, 2024 | 9,383 | 18,623 |
| Closed-end second mortgages, 2024 | 4,519 | 10,119 |
| Median line amount | $185,000 | $155,000 |
| Median value of the home behind a line | $1,275,000 | $955,000 |
| Lines per 1,000 owner-occupied homes | 15.1 | 11.7 |
| Total credit extended on lines | $2,122 million | $3,625 million |
Two things stand out. Orange County homeowners open home equity lines at a higher rate per home than Los Angeles County, on more expensive homes, for larger amounts — a median line of $185,000 against a median home of $1,275,000, which is a second lien of about 15% of value before the first mortgage is counted. And in both counties, lines outnumber closed-end second mortgages roughly two to one: when Southern California homeowners borrow against equity without refinancing, the line is the instrument they choose.
What the 2024 lines were for
| Stated purpose | Orange County | Share | Los Angeles County | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home improvement | 3,604 | 38% | 7,256 | 39% |
| Other purpose | 2,727 | 29% | 6,002 | 32% |
| Cash-out refinancing | 2,109 | 22% | 3,384 | 18% |
| Refinancing | 735 | 8% | 1,447 | 8% |
| Home purchase | 208 | 2% | 533 | 3% |
Home improvement is the single largest stated purpose in both counties, with “other purpose” — the category that holds debt consolidation, tuition, business use and reserves — close behind. Cash-out refinancing recorded on a line means the line was used to pull cash while an existing first mortgage stayed in place, which is the pattern this practice is built around. 96% of Orange County lines were on a principal residence; 2.0% were reported as business or commercial purpose.
City by city
Owner-occupied homes and the share with no mortgage are from the Census Bureau’s five-year survey; the median value is the Census estimate for owner-occupied homes; the typical value and its change are Zillow’s Home Value Index for the city as of 2026-09. Cities and census-designated places with fewer than 3,000 owner-occupied homes are left out. The share with no mortgage is the share of homes whose entire value is equity.
| City | Owner-occupied homes | No mortgage | Median value (Census) | Typical value (Zillow) | 5-year change | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irvine | 49,830 | 35% | $1,191,500 | $1,481,490 | +54% | +104% |
| Anaheim | 49,155 | 30% | $831,200 | $941,684 | +28% | +86% |
| Huntington Beach | 43,400 | 36% | $1,100,000 | $1,344,725 | +41% | +102% |
| Santa Ana | 36,171 | 35% | $713,000 | $858,641 | +30% | +100% |
| Garden Grove | 26,073 | 36% | $814,100 | $1,001,908 | +34% | +106% |
| Orange | 25,720 | 28% | $945,800 | $1,120,386 | +33% | +91% |
| Mission Viejo | 25,334 | 25% | $1,009,600 | $1,201,393 | +38% | +96% |
| Fullerton | 24,947 | 32% | $902,600 | $1,037,545 | +29% | +83% |
| Lake Forest | 21,471 | 25% | $937,000 | $1,172,296 | +38% | +95% |
| Newport Beach | 19,791 | 39% | $2,000,000+ | $3,710,827 | +56% | +130% |
| Yorba Linda | 19,020 | 31% | $1,147,100 | $1,398,026 | +35% | +89% |
| Laguna Niguel | 17,293 | 29% | $1,190,900 | $1,493,093 | +53% | +118% |
| Costa Mesa | 16,728 | 26% | $1,115,100 | $1,419,109 | +43% | +111% |
| San Clemente | 16,187 | 27% | $1,398,400 | $1,751,315 | +47% | +123% |
| Westminster | 15,038 | 41% | $858,300 | $1,093,355 | +35% | +98% |
| Tustin | 13,442 | 34% | $950,400 | $1,145,586 | +40% | +94% |
| Buena Park | 13,378 | 35% | $838,800 | $928,677 | +25% | +86% |
| Rancho Santa Margarita | 12,414 | 20% | $971,200 | $1,003,793 | +30% | +84% |
| Fountain Valley | 12,166 | 40% | $1,072,300 | $1,377,121 | +48% | +117% |
| La Habra | 11,972 | 30% | $781,600 | $900,627 | +25% | +87% |
| Aliso Viejo | 11,138 | 22% | $917,900 | $992,406 | +37% | +89% |
| Cypress | 11,089 | 32% | $913,900 | $1,067,841 | +32% | +92% |
| Placentia | 10,931 | 30% | $921,000 | $1,101,368 | +33% | +90% |
| Brea | 10,028 | 31% | $922,300 | $1,116,557 | +28% | +77% |
| San Juan Capistrano | 9,928 | 35% | $993,800 | $1,339,804 | +41% | +100% |
| Seal Beach | 9,827 | 69% | $486,800 | $838,369 | +29% | +94% |
| Dana Point | 8,648 | 29% | $1,320,300 | $1,773,166 | +45% | +121% |
| Laguna Woods | 8,387 | 75% | $394,600 | $458,736 | +17% | +77% |
| Laguna Hills | 7,909 | 30% | $1,012,300 | $1,228,966 | +40% | +98% |
| North Tustin | 7,889 | 29% | $1,347,800 | $1,751,878 | +41% | +109% |
| Laguna Beach | 7,165 | 40% | $2,000,000+ | $3,043,251 | +34% | +99% |
| Stanton | 6,119 | 47% | $579,300 | $784,807 | +28% | +95% |
| Ladera Ranch | 5,440 | 12% | $1,151,000 | $1,374,732 | +36% | +93% |
| Coto de Caza | 4,637 | 21% | $1,535,600 | $1,979,033 | +47% | +109% |
| Rancho Mission Viejo | 3,474 | 25% | $1,110,100 | $1,194,986 | +32% | +78% |
| Rossmoor | 3,466 | 29% | $1,406,900 | — | — | — |
| La Palma | 3,458 | 41% | $973,600 | $1,185,448 | +37% | +103% |
The two cities with the highest mortgage-free shares, Laguna Woods and Seal Beach, are the two with the lowest typical values — age-restricted and cooperative housing stock bought outright. Strip those out and the pattern is the one you would expect: older tracts (Westminster, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach) carry the most mortgage-free homes; the newest master-planned cities (Ladera Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo) the fewest. The ten-year change column is the equity story in one number — most of the county has roughly doubled.
What this means for a line against one of these homes
- A mortgage-free home takes the line in first position. For about a third of the county, there is no existing lender to subordinate to; the owner’s equity is the full value of the house. Home equity in retirement covers how retirement income and assets qualify.
- The median line is small relative to the median home. $185,000 against $1,275,000 leaves most borrowers well inside any combined loan-to-value limit, which is why the real constraint is usually debt-to-income, not equity. How much can I borrow?
- Newer cities mean newer first mortgages and more Mello-Roos. Low mortgage-free shares in Ladera Ranch and Rancho Mission Viejo go with Community Facilities District assessments that count in debt-to-income. Mello-Roos and your HELOC.
- Condo-heavy cities (Irvine, Costa Mesa, Aliso Viejo) are eligible without a project review. Condos without HOA questionnaires.
Method and sources
- Owner-occupied homes, mortgage status, homeownership rate, median value: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey tables B25081, B25003 and B25077 — ACS 2024 1-year for the two counties, ACS 2024 5-year for cities, read through the Census Reporter API. Census estimates carry margins of error; small cities are less precise.
- Typical home value and change: Zillow Home Value Index, city level, all homes, smoothed and seasonally adjusted, as of 2026-09-30; five- and ten-year changes are against the same month in 2021 and 2016. © Zillow, used under its data terms.
- Home equity lines and second mortgages: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act loan-level data for 2024, originated subordinate-lien loans in each county, split by the open-end flag, from the FFIEC HMDA Data Browser. HMDA covers lenders above its reporting thresholds, so counts are a floor. Loan amounts are reported in ranges by some lenders; medians use the reported midpoint.
- This page describes homes and loans in the public record. It says nothing about who owns them, and nothing here is a statement about the line this practice places. Figures are regenerated from the sources, not edited by hand.
Where does your home sit in these numbers?
The property, rough numbers, and what the money is for.
Questions about the data
35% of owner-occupied homes — 219,246 of 620,261 — carried no mortgage in the ACS 2024 1-year American Community Survey. Los Angeles County was 33%.
9,383 home equity lines of credit were originated on Orange County homes in 2024 according to HMDA data, plus 4,519 closed-end second mortgages. The median line was $185,000 on a home valued at $1,275,000.
By stated purpose in 2024 HMDA data: home improvement 38%, other purposes (which include debt consolidation, education and business use) 29%, and cash-out against an existing first mortgage 22%.
By Zillow’s index as of 2026-09, Newport Beach, followed by Laguna Beach, Coto de Caza and Irvine among larger cities. The Census median for owner-occupied homes in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach exceeds the survey’s $2,000,000 top code.
These are the requirements for the home equity line we place. Other lenders set their own guidelines, and some are more flexible.
Pages that use these figures
Home equity in retirement
A third of the county has no mortgage; the line records in first position.
Learn moreHow much can I borrow?
Value, liens, credit and debt-to-income, with a headroom calculator.
Learn moreAreas served
City pages for Orange County, with property conditions that affect approval.
Learn more