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.
$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 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 4.5% 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 Sacramento 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 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.
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 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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$125,924 median income · $637,450 median home price
Located in
Sacramento County, California
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$90,045 median income · $854,623 median home price
Located in
Yolo County, California
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 6.3%.
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$122,951 median income · $614,926 median home price
Located in
Yolo County, California
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$81,487 median income · $948,107 median home price
Located in
Placer County, California
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 0.8% of people lack insurance, good for 1st in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,393 median income · $534,299 median home price
Located in
Sacramento County, California
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$90,180 median income · $555,610 median home price
Located in
Yolo County, California
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.
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%
On the map
Where the best Sacramento suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
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.
The full plate
Table: Best Sacramento Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocklin | 3.93 | 73,327 | $124,168 | $692,668 |
| 2 | Folsom | 4.14 | 83,916 | $139,804 | $763,784 |
| 3 | Roseville | 4.93 | 155,955 | $119,288 | $644,324 |
| 4 | Lincoln | 5.43 | 52,956 | $111,990 | $639,029 |
| 5 | Elk Grove | 6.00 | 179,155 | $125,924 | $637,450 |
| 6 | Davis | 6.43 | 66,978 | $90,045 | $854,623 |
| 7 | Winters | 8.43 | 7,583 | $122,951 | $614,926 |
| 8 | Loomis | 8.43 | 6,853 | $81,487 | $948,107 |
| 9 | Galt | 8.57 | 25,962 | $94,393 | $534,299 |
| 10 | Woodland | 9.14 | 61,854 | $90,180 | $555,610 |
| 11 | Dixon | 9.14 | 19,683 | $102,878 | $607,768 |
| 12 | Citrus Heights | 10.71 | 86,995 | $82,314 | $477,114 |
| 13 | West Sacramento | 11.00 | 54,927 | $93,188 | $532,729 |
| 14 | Rancho Cordova | 11.71 | 81,849 | $89,585 | $535,997 |
| 15 | Rio Vista | 12.00 | 10,102 | $89,306 | $464,118 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 15 suburbs within 30 miles of Sacramento.
Summary
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 Rocklin, Folsom, Roseville, Lincoln, Elk Grove, Davis, Winters, Loomis, Galt, and Woodland.
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. 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 Sacramento FAQs
What is the best suburb of Sacramento?
Rocklin is the best suburb of Sacramento for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Folsom and Roseville are next.
What are the best suburbs of Sacramento?
The best suburbs of Sacramento are Rocklin, Folsom, Roseville, Lincoln, Elk Grove, Davis, Winters, Loomis, Galt, and Woodland. We ranked all 15 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 Sacramento?
Any place within 30 miles of Sacramento qualifies. 15 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Sacramento 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.
