Oakland 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 Oakland 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 Oakland: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$250,001 median income · $2,459,056 median home price
Located in
Alameda County, California
Piedmont is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Oakland area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Piedmont.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $250,001 a year, which is the 6th highest in the Oakland region. And only 1.5% are out of work. Homes average more than $2,459,056 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $4,692,541 median home price
Belvedere is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Oakland for 2026.
It ranks 6th for incomes in the area and only 0.6% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
$250,001 median income · $3,904,003 median home price
Here in Ross, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Oakland 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 Ross.
$250,001 median income · $4,713,315 median home price
Located in
Santa Clara County, California
Los Altos ranks as the 4th best suburb of Oakland for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Los Altos and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$237,470 median income · $2,459,877 median home price
Located in
San Mateo County, California
Coming in as the fifth best is San Carlos.
San Carlos gets kudos for having the 13th most expensive homes in the Oakland area, where houses sell for an average of $2,459,877. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $3,891,384 median home price
Located in
San Mateo County, California
Woodside 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 2.5%.
According to online reports, Woodside is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Oakland area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $1,985,117 median home price
Located in
Contra Costa County, California
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Orinda.
Orinda 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 8.3 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $7,890,841 median home price
Located in
San Mateo County, California
Atherton 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 1.7% of people lack insurance, good for 18th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $6,102,345 median home price
Located in
Santa Clara County, California
Is ‘Everything Better In Los Altos Hills?’
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
$250,001 median income · $4,275,093 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
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%
California statewide median: 12.0%
On the map
Where the best Oakland suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Oakland for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Oakland 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 Oakland.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 67 suburbs to evaluate around Oakland.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 67 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 Oakland.” We’re lookin’ at you, Piedmont.
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 Oakland suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Oakland Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piedmont | 7.29 | 10,945 | $250,001 | $2,459,056 |
| 2 | Belvedere | 10.57 | 2,345 | $250,001 | $4,692,541 |
| 3 | Ross | 14.57 | 2,606 | $250,001 | $3,904,003 |
| 4 | Los Altos | 14.64 | 30,698 | $250,001 | $4,713,315 |
| 5 | San Carlos | 16.07 | 29,614 | $237,470 | $2,459,877 |
| 6 | Woodside | 16.50 | 5,126 | $250,001 | $3,891,384 |
| 7 | Orinda | 17.36 | 19,514 | $250,001 | $1,985,117 |
| 8 | Atherton | 18.36 | 6,993 | $250,001 | $7,890,841 |
| 9 | Los Altos Hills | 19.50 | 8,377 | $250,001 | $6,102,345 |
| 10 | Portola Valley | 19.93 | 4,305 | $250,001 | $4,275,093 |
| 11 | Lafayette | 20.43 | 25,285 | $228,250 | $1,934,581 |
| 12 | Corte Madera | 21.00 | 10,077 | $232,763 | $1,838,958 |
| 13 | Hillsborough | 21.57 | 11,099 | $250,001 | $5,279,135 |
| 14 | Danville | 23.71 | 43,401 | $232,216 | $1,908,521 |
| 15 | San Ramon | 24.21 | 85,993 | $196,161 | $1,543,534 |
| 16 | Mountain View | 24.50 | 83,732 | $189,917 | $2,037,086 |
| 17 | Mountain View | 24.50 | 83,732 | $189,917 | $2,037,086 |
| 18 | Dublin | 24.79 | 70,803 | $214,385 | $1,305,295 |
| 19 | Tiburon | 24.79 | 9,012 | $232,969 | $3,020,895 |
| 20 | Palo Alto | 25.14 | 67,237 | $231,101 | $3,722,200 |
| 21 | Sunnyvale | 26.07 | 154,236 | $186,170 | $2,168,909 |
| 22 | Albany | 27.36 | 19,414 | $144,107 | $1,261,177 |
| 23 | San Anselmo | 29.71 | 12,679 | $173,641 | $1,647,302 |
| 24 | Menlo Park | 29.86 | 32,727 | $210,025 | $2,865,159 |
| 25 | Pleasanton | 30.07 | 76,960 | $190,124 | $1,601,646 |
| 26 | Belmont | 30.64 | 27,337 | $205,297 | $2,332,686 |
| 27 | Sausalito | 31.00 | 7,141 | $182,357 | $1,505,307 |
| 28 | Moraga | 31.36 | 16,769 | $216,193 | $1,666,830 |
| 29 | Milpitas | 31.43 | 78,578 | $178,798 | $1,502,891 |
| 30 | Larkspur | 31.57 | 12,854 | $140,417 | $2,129,545 |
| 31 | Livermore | 31.71 | 85,522 | $160,775 | $1,122,823 |
| 32 | Burlingame | 32.00 | 30,525 | $174,000 | $2,761,630 |
| 33 | Pacifica | 32.14 | 37,261 | $160,523 | $1,284,847 |
| 34 | Millbrae | 32.29 | 22,689 | $163,476 | $2,082,465 |
| 35 | Clayton | 32.43 | 10,937 | $175,707 | $1,057,924 |
| 36 | Fremont | 33.71 | 228,295 | $181,506 | $1,543,132 |
| 37 | South San Francisco | 34.57 | 64,305 | $136,578 | $1,242,214 |
| 38 | Mill Valley | 34.57 | 14,012 | $206,212 | $2,073,166 |
| 39 | San Mateo | 35.29 | 103,105 | $153,504 | $1,686,905 |
| 40 | Newark | 35.57 | 46,903 | $169,064 | $1,260,998 |
| 41 | Half Moon Bay | 36.07 | 11,391 | $157,884 | $1,573,307 |
| 42 | Alameda | 36.14 | 77,238 | $137,697 | $1,155,484 |
| 43 | San Bruno | 36.43 | 42,307 | $141,272 | $1,327,402 |
| 44 | Berkeley | 37.93 | 120,257 | $108,092 | $1,443,684 |
| 45 | Pleasant Hill | 38.43 | 34,235 | $145,029 | $1,000,859 |
| 46 | Walnut Creek | 38.86 | 70,088 | $130,432 | $1,045,017 |
| 47 | El Cerrito | 39.29 | 25,994 | $127,876 | $1,142,479 |
| 48 | Martinez | 41.21 | 36,903 | $127,355 | $773,745 |
| 49 | Hercules | 41.86 | 26,302 | $129,397 | $754,023 |
| 50 | Brisbane | 43.21 | 4,692 | $156,169 | $1,159,533 |
| 51 | Brentwood | 43.29 | 65,208 | $142,494 | $805,888 |
| 52 | Benicia | 43.79 | 26,749 | $121,204 | $781,134 |
| 53 | Fairfax | 45.50 | 7,516 | $141,653 | $1,213,199 |
| 54 | Emeryville | 45.79 | 13,081 | $117,092 | $448,554 |
| 55 | Pinole | 46.07 | 18,761 | $127,717 | $731,006 |
| 56 | East Palo Alto | 47.71 | 29,069 | $113,493 | $1,034,441 |
| 57 | San Leandro | 48.29 | 87,826 | $101,420 | $817,480 |
| 58 | American Canyon | 49.36 | 21,691 | $121,700 | $743,650 |
| 59 | San Rafael | 49.57 | 60,433 | $119,435 | $1,319,431 |
| 60 | Concord | 50.00 | 124,035 | $108,709 | $742,769 |
| 61 | Novato | 52.93 | 52,546 | $115,736 | $1,078,524 |
| 62 | Hayward | 54.57 | 158,801 | $113,318 | $848,427 |
| 63 | San Pablo | 56.29 | 31,720 | $79,478 | $569,732 |
| 64 | Antioch | 57.07 | 116,477 | $97,465 | $598,211 |
| 65 | Vallejo | 57.57 | 124,268 | $90,171 | $520,970 |
| 66 | Pittsburg | 57.86 | 76,257 | $99,861 | $569,428 |
| 67 | Richmond | 60.14 | 115,505 | $95,391 | $606,427 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 67 suburbs within 30 miles of Oakland.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Oakland ‘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 Oakland are Piedmont, Belvedere, Ross, Los Altos, San Carlos, Woodside, Orinda, Atherton, Los Altos Hills, and Portola Valley.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Oakland 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 Oakland FAQs
What is the best suburb of Oakland?
Piedmont is the best suburb of Oakland for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Belvedere and Ross are next.
What are the best suburbs of Oakland?
The best suburbs of Oakland are Piedmont, Belvedere, Ross, Los Altos, San Carlos, Woodside, Orinda, Atherton, Los Altos Hills, and Portola Valley. We ranked all 67 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Piedmont?
The median household income in Piedmont is $250,001 and the median home costs $2,459,056. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Oakland?
Any place within 30 miles of Oakland qualifies. 67 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Oakland 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, Piedmont, takes the crown.
