Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is California a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in California.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Golden State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of California, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 58 counties in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 Best Counties To Live In California For 2025
- Santa Clara County
- San Mateo County
- Placer County
- Marin County
- El Dorado County
- Alameda County
- San Francisco County
- Contra Costa County
- Alpine County
- Nevada County
Santa Clara County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in California. And you should avoid Imperial County if you can — at least according to the data.
Now you know exactly where to move in California. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in California and the cheapest places to live in California.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Best Counties To Live In California For 2025
1. Santa Clara County
Biggest Place: San Jose
Population: 1,903,297
Median Income: $159,674 (best)
Median Home Price: $1,382,800 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (4th best)
More on Santa Clara County:
2. San Mateo County
Biggest Place: San Mateo
Population: 745,100
Median Income: $156,000 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $1,494,500 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (5th best)
More on San Mateo County:
3. Placer County
Biggest Place: Roseville
Population: 412,435
Median Income: $114,678 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $658,800 (18th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (6th best)
More on Placer County:
4. Marin County
Biggest Place: San Rafael
Population: 258,765
Median Income: $142,785 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $1,390,000 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.1% (26th best)
More on Marin County:
5. El Dorado County
Biggest Place: El Dorado Hills
Population: 192,299
Median Income: $106,190 (14th best)
Median Home Price: $640,500 (19th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (8th best)
More on El Dorado County:
6. Alameda County
Biggest Place: Oakland
Population: 1,651,949
Median Income: $126,240 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $1,057,400 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2% (12th best)
More on Alameda County:
7. San Francisco County
Biggest Place: San Francisco
Population: 836,321
Median Income: $141,446 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $1,380,500 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.6% (18th best)
More on San Francisco County:
8. Contra Costa County
Biggest Place: Concord
Population: 1,161,458
Median Income: $125,727 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $830,800 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.9% (2best)
More on Contra Costa County:
9. Alpine County
Biggest Place: Kirkwood
Population: 1,695
Median Income: $110,781 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $466,100 (29th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.6% (3rd best)
More on Alpine County:
10. Nevada County
Biggest Place: Truckee
Population: 102,452
Median Income: $84,905 (27th best)
Median Home Price: $602,800 (20th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (7th best)
More on Nevada County:
Methodology: How do you determine which California county is the best?
To give you the best county in California, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in California across each of the criteria from one to 58, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In California.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Golden State.
We updated this article for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in California.
Read on to see why Santa Clara County is the best county, while Imperial County is probably in contention for being the worst county in California.
Summary: The Best Counties In California To Call Home For 2025
Living in California can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in California are Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, Placer County, Marin County, El Dorado County, Alameda County, San Francisco County, Contra Costa County, Alpine County, and Nevada County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in California according to the data:
- Imperial County
- Merced County
- Tulare County
For more California reading, check out:
- Best Places To Buy A House In California
- Best Places To Raise A Family In California
- Safest Places In California
- Best Counties To Live In California
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In California
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara County | 1,903,297 | $159,674 | $1,382,800 |
| 2 | San Mateo County | 745,100 | $156,000 | $1,494,500 |
| 3 | Placer County | 412,435 | $114,678 | $658,800 |
| 4 | Marin County | 258,765 | $142,785 | $1,390,000 |
| 5 | El Dorado County | 192,299 | $106,190 | $640,500 |
| 6 | Alameda County | 1,651,949 | $126,240 | $1,057,400 |
| 7 | San Francisco County | 836,321 | $141,446 | $1,380,500 |
| 8 | Contra Costa County | 1,161,458 | $125,727 | $830,800 |
| 9 | Alpine County | 1,695 | $110,781 | $466,100 |
| 10 | Nevada County | 102,452 | $84,905 | $602,800 |
| 11 | Sonoma County | 485,642 | $102,840 | $779,000 |
| 12 | Napa County | 136,070 | $108,970 | $838,800 |
| 13 | Santa Cruz County | 266,021 | $109,266 | $1,015,200 |
| 14 | San Luis Obispo County | 281,486 | $93,398 | $777,200 |
| 15 | Orange County | 3,164,063 | $113,702 | $915,500 |
| 16 | Solano County | 450,824 | $99,994 | $589,600 |
| 17 | San Diego County | 3,282,782 | $102,285 | $791,600 |
| 18 | San Benito County | 66,056 | $108,289 | $751,500 |
| 19 | Calaveras County | 45,995 | $79,877 | $441,800 |
| 20 | Amador County | 41,029 | $81,526 | $422,800 |
| 21 | Yolo County | 217,782 | $88,818 | $593,800 |
| 22 | Ventura County | 838,259 | $107,327 | $768,400 |
| 23 | Inyo County | 18,803 | $72,432 | $338,400 |
| 24 | Sacramento County | 1,584,047 | $88,724 | $498,900 |
| 25 | Mono County | 13,169 | $86,953 | $514,300 |
| 26 | Tuolumne County | 54,873 | $72,259 | $406,200 |
| 27 | Plumas County | 19,607 | $64,946 | $327,400 |
| 28 | Monterey County | 435,834 | $94,486 | $723,100 |
| 29 | Shasta County | 181,554 | $71,931 | $347,200 |
| 30 | Riverside County | 2,449,909 | $89,672 | $510,300 |
| 31 | Santa Barbara County | 443,975 | $95,977 | $735,700 |
| 32 | San Joaquin County | 787,416 | $88,531 | $494,500 |
| 33 | Los Angeles County | 9,848,406 | $87,760 | $783,300 |
| 34 | Butte County | 209,470 | $68,574 | $408,700 |
| 35 | Del Norte County | 27,293 | $66,780 | $319,600 |
| 36 | Stanislaus County | 552,250 | $79,661 | $426,600 |
| 37 | Mariposa County | 17,060 | $65,378 | $358,000 |
| 38 | Sutter County | 98,971 | $75,450 | $399,400 |
| 39 | San Bernardino County | 2,187,816 | $82,184 | $475,000 |
| 40 | Humboldt County | 135,418 | $61,135 | $418,800 |
| 41 | Yuba County | 83,079 | $73,313 | $380,000 |
| 42 | Trinity County | 15,886 | $53,498 | $329,000 |
| 43 | Tehama County | 65,520 | $61,834 | $315,600 |
| 44 | Siskiyou County | 43,834 | $55,499 | $284,500 |
| 45 | Colusa County | 21,895 | $75,149 | $375,100 |
| 46 | Glenn County | 28,623 | $70,487 | $338,400 |
| 47 | Mendocino County | 90,709 | $64,688 | $486,000 |
| 48 | Sierra County | 2,731 | $60,000 | $334,100 |
| 49 | Lake County | 68,139 | $58,738 | $316,800 |
| 50 | Fresno County | 1,012,152 | $71,434 | $362,600 |
| 51 | Modoc County | 8,646 | $56,648 | $212,000 |
| 52 | Lassen County | 31,177 | $64,395 | $259,500 |
| 53 | Madera County | 158,790 | $75,496 | $367,700 |
| 54 | Kings County | 152,830 | $68,750 | $305,700 |
| 55 | Kern County | 910,433 | $67,660 | $310,600 |
| 56 | Tulare County | 475,774 | $69,489 | $303,000 |
| 57 | Merced County | 285,597 | $65,044 | $368,400 |
| 58 | Imperial County | 179,319 | $56,393 | $279,500 |