The 10 Best Fremont Suburbs To Live In For 2022


We analyzed over 44 places around Fremont to identify the most in demand places to live.

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Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best Fremont suburbs.

Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.

There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.

But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.

Of course, not all suburbs of Fremont are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...

Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Fremont for 2022:

  1. Los Altos
  2. Piedmont
  3. Los Altos Hills
  4. Monte Sereno
  5. Orinda
  6. Hillsborough
  7. Atherton
  8. Woodside
  9. San Carlos
  10. Portola Valley

What's the best suburb of Fremont? Los Altos ranks as the best suburb of Fremont for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Los Altos, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.

We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Fremont 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.

Note: 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 larger selection of suburbs.

Feel free to check out some more reading about California:

The 10 Best Fremont Suburbs To Live For 2022

Los Altos is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Fremont area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Los Altos."

Everyone here is rich; families average $240,094 a year, which is the 7th highest in the Fremont region. And only 3.59% are out of work. Homes average more than $2,000,001 each.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 30,878
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $240,094
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 2.8%
More on Los Altos: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Los Altos, CA

Piedmont is the second best 'burb we looked at near Fremont for 2022.

It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 1.2% of residents lack insurance, good for 8th best.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 11,454
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.6%
More on Piedmont: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Piedmont, CA

Here in Los Altos Hills, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Fremont 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 Los Altos Hills.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 8,496
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.0%
More on Los Altos Hills: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Los Altos Hills, CA

Source: Public domain

Monte Sereno ranks as the 4th best suburb of Fremont for 2022.

You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Monte Sereno and the schools are some of the best around.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 3,511
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 3)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 1.3%
More on Monte Sereno: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Monte Sereno, CA

Coming in as the fifth best is Orinda.

Orinda gets kudos for having the 20th most expensive homes in the Fremont area, where houses sell for an average of $1,515,500. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 19,461
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 5)
Median Income: $231,230
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 2.3%
More on Orinda: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Orinda, CA

Hillsborough 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 3.48% which is 13th best in the area.

According to online reports, Hillsborough is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Fremont area, meaning you need to get in soon.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 11,608
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Hillsborough: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Hillsborough, CA

The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Atherton.

Atherton 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 14.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,060
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 4)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.7%
More on Atherton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Atherton, CA

Source: Public domain

Woodside 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 1.27% of people lack insurance, good for 9th in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,593
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 5)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Woodside: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Woodside, CA

Is 'Everything Better In San Carlos?'

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.

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 29,647
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 6)
Median Income: $189,739
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.2%
More on San Carlos: Real Estate | Data | Photos

San Carlos, CA

And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Portola Valley.

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.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 4,568
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 6)
Median Income: $235,469
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on Portola Valley: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Portola Valley, CA

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Fremont for 2022

Figuring out the best suburbs around Fremont was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

  • 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

Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Fremont.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 44 suburbs to evaluate around Fremont.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 44 in each category, where 1 was the "best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Fremont." We're lookin' at you, Los Altos. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.

Summary: Welcome to the Best Fremont 'Burbs of 2022

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.

So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Fremont, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Fremont Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income
1 Los Altos, CA 30,878 $240,094
2 Piedmont, CA 11,454 $250,001
3 Los Altos Hills, CA 8,496 $250,001
4 Monte Sereno, CA 3,511 $250,001
5 Orinda, CA 19,461 $231,230
6 Hillsborough, CA 11,608 $250,001
7 Atherton, CA 7,060 $250,001
8 Woodside, CA 5,593 $250,001
9 San Carlos, CA 29,647 $189,739
10 Portola Valley, CA 4,568 $235,469
11 Saratoga, CA 31,084 $201,046
12 Lafayette, CA 25,949 $188,140
13 Cupertino, CA 59,799 $182,857
14 Los Gatos, CA 31,943 $156,270
15 Palo Alto, CA 67,973 $174,003
16 Burlingame, CA 30,071 $138,344
17 Menlo Park, CA 35,211 $167,567
18 Danville, CA 44,933 $167,827
19 San Ramon, CA 81,344 $167,345
20 Pleasanton, CA 79,975 $160,689
21 Dublin, CA 63,856 $152,745
22 Sunnyvale, CA 152,569 $150,464
23 Belmont, CA 26,963 $160,046
24 Millbrae, CA 22,998 $126,319
25 Moraga, CA 16,896 $152,788
26 Mountain View, CA 80,104 $144,116
27 Livermore, CA 91,763 $131,664
28 Campbell, CA 42,891 $122,644
29 Santa Clara, CA 126,723 $136,870
30 Milpitas, CA 75,182 $137,000
31 South San Francisco, CA 66,878 $106,005
32 Newark, CA 48,148 $127,619
33 Walnut Creek, CA 69,836 $108,689
34 San Mateo, CA 103,619 $126,102
35 Half Moon Bay, CA 12,583 $131,233
36 San Bruno, CA 44,663 $113,103
37 Alameda, CA 79,827 $106,737
38 Morgan Hill, CA 44,789 $128,373
39 Brisbane, CA 4,645 $114,583
40 East Palo Alto, CA 29,448 $83,511
41 San Jose, CA 1,029,409 $117,324
42 San Leandro, CA 90,489 $86,604
43 Oakland, CA 422,575 $80,143
44 Hayward, CA 158,817 $91,490

How Is Your Town In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.