Elk Grove has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Elk Grove without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Elk Grove: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$124,168 median income · $692,668 median home price
Located in
Placer County, California
Rocklin is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Elk Grove area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Rocklin.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $124,168 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Elk Grove region. And only 4.5% are out of work. Homes average more than $692,668 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$139,804 median income · $763,784 median home price
Located in
Sacramento County, California
Folsom is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Elk Grove for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 2.5% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$119,288 median income · $644,324 median home price
Located in
Placer County, California
Here in Roseville, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Elk Grove metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Roseville.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$111,990 median income · $639,029 median home price
Located in
Placer County, California
Lincoln ranks as the 4th best suburb of Elk Grove for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Lincoln and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$90,045 median income · $854,623 median home price
Located in
Yolo County, California
Coming in as the fifth best is Davis.
Davis gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Elk Grove area, where houses sell for an average of $854,623. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,393 median income · $534,299 median home price
Located in
Sacramento County, California
Galt is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 6.1%.
According to online reports, Galt is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Elk Grove area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$102,878 median income · $607,768 median home price
Located in
Solano County, California
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Dixon.
Dixon schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 23.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$90,180 median income · $555,610 median home price
Located in
Yolo County, California
Woodland is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 5.2% of people lack insurance, good for 12th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$81,487 median income · $948,107 median home price
Located in
Placer County, California
Is ‘Everything Better In Loomis?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$64,153 median income · $203,312 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Camanche.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
California statewide median: $99,122
California statewide median: $774,582
California statewide median: 6.6%
On the map
Where the best Elk Grove suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Elk Grove for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Elk Grove was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Elk Grove.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 4,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 17 suburbs to evaluate around Elk Grove.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 17 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Elk Grove.” We’re lookin’ at you, Rocklin.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Elk Grove suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Elk Grove Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocklin | 4.00 | 73,327 | $124,168 | $692,668 |
| 2 | Folsom | 4.57 | 83,916 | $139,804 | $763,784 |
| 3 | Roseville | 4.71 | 155,955 | $119,288 | $644,324 |
| 4 | Lincoln | 5.29 | 52,956 | $111,990 | $639,029 |
| 5 | Davis | 6.57 | 66,978 | $90,045 | $854,623 |
| 6 | Galt | 8.29 | 25,962 | $94,393 | $534,299 |
| 7 | Dixon | 8.43 | 19,683 | $102,878 | $607,768 |
| 8 | Woodland | 8.86 | 61,854 | $90,180 | $555,610 |
| 9 | Loomis | 9.00 | 6,853 | $81,487 | $948,107 |
| 10 | Camanche | 10.86 | 4,550 | $64,153 | $203,312 |
| 11 | West Sacramento | 11.00 | 54,927 | $93,188 | $532,729 |
| 12 | Citrus Heights | 11.14 | 86,995 | $82,314 | $477,114 |
| 13 | Rancho Cordova | 11.43 | 81,849 | $89,585 | $535,997 |
| 14 | Sacramento | 11.86 | 528,706 | $87,321 | $479,766 |
| 15 | Ione | 12.00 | 9,156 | $91,495 | $464,966 |
| 16 | Rio Vista | 12.14 | 10,102 | $89,306 | $464,118 |
| 17 | Lodi | 12.86 | 67,607 | $88,530 | $520,831 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 17 suburbs within 30 miles of Elk Grove.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Elk Grove ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Elk Grove are Rocklin, Folsom, Roseville, Lincoln, Davis, Galt, Dixon, Woodland, Loomis, and Camanche.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Elk Grove but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Elk Grove FAQs
What is the best suburb of Elk Grove?
Rocklin is the best suburb of Elk Grove for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Folsom and Roseville are next.
What are the best suburbs of Elk Grove?
The best suburbs of Elk Grove are Rocklin, Folsom, Roseville, Lincoln, Davis, Galt, Dixon, Woodland, Loomis, and Camanche. We ranked all 17 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Rocklin?
The median household income in Rocklin is $124,168 and the median home costs $692,668. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Elk Grove?
Any place within 30 miles of Elk Grove qualifies. 17 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Elk Grove suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Rocklin, takes the crown.
