Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Sacramento for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Sacramento? Rocklin ranks as the best suburb of Sacramento for 2026 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Rocklin, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Sacramento ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about California:
The 10 Best Sacramento Suburbs To Live For 2026
/10
Population: 73,327
Median Income: $124,168
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on Rocklin: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Rocklin is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Sacramento area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Rocklin.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $124,168 a year, which is the 3rd highest in the Sacramento region. And only 4.46% are out of work. Homes average more than $692,667 each.
low crime rate, beautiful area, wonderful homes, expert level schools
parks are great, roads aren’t busy, food places are decent.
/10
Population: 83,916
Median Income: $139,804
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Folsom: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Folsom is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Sacramento for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 2.52% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
/10
Population: 155,955
Median Income: $119,288
Unemployment Rate: 5.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.9%
More on Roseville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Here in Roseville, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Sacramento 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.
/10
Population: 52,956
Median Income: $111,990
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
Poverty Rate: 6.9%
More on Lincoln: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Lincoln ranks as the 4th best suburb of Sacramento 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.
/10
Population: 179,155
Median Income: $125,924
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Poverty Rate: 8.0%
More on Elk Grove: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Elk Grove.
Elk Grove gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Sacramento area, where houses sell for an average of $637,450. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 66,978
Median Income: $90,045
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%
Poverty Rate: 26.5%
More on Davis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Davis 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 6.26%.
According to online reports, Davis is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Sacramento area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 7,583
Median Income: $122,951
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 8.8%
More on Winters: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Winters.
Winters 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 27.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 6,853
Median Income: $81,487
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Poverty Rate: 13.5%
More on Loomis: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Loomis 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 0.82% of people lack insurance, good for 1st in the area.
/10
Population: 25,962
Median Income: $94,393
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%
Poverty Rate: 8.0%
More on Galt: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Is ‘Everything Better In Galt?’
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.
/10
Population: 61,854
Median Income: $90,180
Unemployment Rate: 5.8%
Poverty Rate: 8.2%
More on Woodland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Woodland.
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.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Sacramento for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Sacramento 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 Sacramento.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 6,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 15 suburbs to evaluate around Sacramento.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 15 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 Sacramento.” 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 Sacramento suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Sacramento ‘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 Sacramento are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Sacramento but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more California reading, check out:
Table: Best Sacramento Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocklin, CA | 73,327 | $124,168 | $692,667 |
| 2 | Folsom, CA | 83,916 | $139,804 | $763,783 |
| 3 | Roseville, CA | 155,955 | $119,288 | $644,324 |
| 4 | Lincoln, CA | 52,956 | $111,990 | $639,029 |
| 5 | Elk Grove, CA | 179,155 | $125,924 | $637,450 |
| 6 | Davis, CA | 66,978 | $90,045 | $854,622 |
| 7 | Winters, CA | 7,583 | $122,951 | $614,926 |
| 8 | Loomis, CA | 6,853 | $81,487 | $948,107 |
| 9 | Galt, CA | 25,962 | $94,393 | $534,298 |
| 10 | Woodland, CA | 61,854 | $90,180 | $555,610 |
| 11 | Dixon, CA | 19,683 | $102,878 | $607,767 |
| 12 | Citrus Heights, CA | 86,995 | $82,314 | $477,113 |
| 13 | West Sacramento, CA | 54,927 | $93,188 | $532,728 |
| 14 | Rancho Cordova, CA | 81,849 | $89,585 | $535,996 |
| 15 | Rio Vista, CA | 10,102 | $89,306 | $464,117 |
