ZIP Code 90242 — Downey city, CA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 90242 covers Downey, CA in Los Angeles County with a population of about 40,983.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 37.4 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 562; U.S. House district CA-42; the LOS ANGELES media market.

Downey, CA sits in a university / college context (near downey adult school (1.4 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 90242 is about $83,238 — about 11% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 9.3%; unemployment rate near 5.0%; 24.2% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 9.5 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Education, and Retail trade; about 9.9% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 5.3 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $676,100 — about 94% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,764 (about 52% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 52.4% (about 13.0 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 90242 in Downey, CA, a household would need roughly $186,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $4,343. That is about 123% above the local median household income ($83,238), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Downey city, CA as Very High (composite score 100.0), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (100.0) and wildfire (99.9). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Downey city, CA show little to no average snow and around 12.0 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 2,017 for ZIP 90242 (Downey city, CA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.