ZIP Code 90038 — Los Angeles, California
90038 is a renter-dominated, lower-income Los Angeles ZIP code with 27,127 residents in Los Angeles County. Median household income is $61,454, 9% below the median for Los Angeles ZIP codes on this site, and the median home is valued at $1,177,100.
How 90038 compares
| Figure | 90038 | LA ZIP median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,454 | $67,834 | 72nd of 95 |
| Median home value | $1,177,100 | $972,050 | 27th of 95 |
| Median gross rent | $1,789 | $1,792 | 62nd of 95 |
| Median age | 34.5 | 36.7 | 75th of 95 (tied) |
| Mean commute (minutes) | 32.4 min | 30.8 min | 21st of 95 (tied) |
| Poverty rate | 20.5% | 18.4% | 24th of 95 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 8% | 29% | 87th of 95 (tied) |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 41% | 41% | 43rd of 95 (tied) |
| Unemployment rate | 8.0% | 8.6% | 41st of 95 (tied) |
Ranks count from the highest value (1st) among the 95 ZIP codes on this site with full Census data. The Los Angeles (LA) ZIP median is the middle value across the 60 of them with a Los Angeles mailing address.
What stands out in 90038
Just 8% of households own their home and 92% rent, tied for the 6th-lowest of 95 for ownership.
Education runs ahead of income here. 41% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, but median household income ($61,454) is 31% below the $88,510 that a trend line across the site's ZIPs predicts for that degree rate.
Household and per-capita income are close together ($61,454 and $46,071), the 18th-lowest of 95 on that ratio, which points to smaller households.
Buying and renting in 90038
Homes here cost 19.2 times the median household income, above the 12.7 of the typical Los Angeles ZIP, the 8th least affordable of 90 on price-to-income. Renting, the majority choice here, costs 34.9% of median household income, one of the heavier rent burdens on the site, over HUD's 30% cost-burden line.
The 2026 affordability report ranks every ZIP on these two ratios.
90038 and its neighbors
Next to its five nearest ZIPs (90028, 90004, 90036, 90020, 90029), 90038 differs most on median age: 34.5 against a neighborhood median of 36.7, the youngest in the group.
The sharpest contrast is 90036 (Los Angeles), about 1.8 miles away, where median rent is $999 a month higher. The closest match among the five is 90028 (Los Angeles).
Distances are straight lines between ZIP center points.
ZIP Code 90038 Census figures
People
Income and work
Housing
Education (adults 25 and older)
Postal and location facts
The main area code is the code most numbers in the ZIP use; overlay codes can also be assigned in the same area.
Map
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources and methodology
Figures are U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates, 2020-2024 for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA), the Census Bureau's stand-in for a ZIP code. They describe the area over the five-year survey window, not a single year, and small areas carry wider margins of error. Comparisons and ranks are computed on this site from the same figures; the "Los Angeles ZIP median" is the middle value across the Los Angeles ZIP codes here, each counted once.
| Figure | Census table |
|---|---|
| Population | B01003 |
| Median age | B01002 |
| Median household income | B19013 |
| Poverty rate | S1701 |
| Unemployment rate | S2301 |
| Owner / renter share of occupied homes | B25003 |
| Median home value (owner estimate) | B25077 |
| Median gross rent | B25064 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | S1501 |
| Mean travel time to work | DP03 |
Land and water area come from the Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area geography; density is population ÷ land area. Area codes come from North American Numbering Plan maps and ZIP city names from the USPS. Full field list, formulas and limitations: methodology.