While big cities like San Francisco offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around San Francisco. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near San Francisco without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of San Francisco are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater San Francisco area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around San Francisco for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of San Francisco? Piedmont ranks as the best suburb of San Francisco for 2025 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Piedmont, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 San Francisco ‘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 San Francisco Suburbs To Live For 2025
/10
Population: 11,012
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Piedmont: Data
Piedmont is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the San Francisco area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Piedmont.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $250,001 a year, which is the 4th highest in the San Francisco region. And only 3.96% are out of work. Homes average more than $2,000,001 each.
/10
Population: 2,415
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 0.4%
Poverty Rate: 6.6%
More on Belvedere: Data
Belvedere is the second best ‘burb we looked at near San Francisco for 2025.
It ranks 4th for incomes in the area and only 0.25% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
/10
Population: 29,797
Median Income: $233,333
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.2%
More on San Carlos: Data
Here in San Carlos, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the San Francisco 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 San Carlos.
/10
Population: 19,472
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 2.0%
More on Orinda: Data
Orinda ranks as the 4th best suburb of San Francisco for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Orinda and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 5,181
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Woodside: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Woodside.
Woodside gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the San Francisco area, where houses sell for an average of $2,000,001. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 2,626
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 4.1%
More on Ross: Data
Ross 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 3.66%.
According to online reports, Ross is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the San Francisco area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 7,021
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.3%
More on Atherton: Data
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 25.2 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 25,277
Median Income: $222,393
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 3.9%
More on Lafayette: Data
Lafayette 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 0.99% of people lack insurance, good for 9th in the area.
/10
Population: 11,122
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Hillsborough: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Hillsborough?’
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: 43,426
Median Income: $223,206
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on Danville: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Danville.
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 San Francisco for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around San Francisco 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 2019-2023 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 San Francisco.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 55 suburbs to evaluate around San Francisco.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 55 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 San Francisco.” 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 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best San Francisco suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best San Francisco ‘Burbs of 2025
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 San Francisco are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like San Francisco 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 San Francisco Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piedmont, CA | 11,012 | $250,001 | $2,000,001 |
| 2 | Belvedere, CA | 2,415 | $250,001 | $2,000,001 |
| 3 | San Carlos, CA | 29,797 | $233,333 | $2,000,001 |
| 4 | Orinda, CA | 19,472 | $250,001 | $1,804,400 |
| 5 | Woodside, CA | 5,181 | $250,001 | $2,000,001 |
| 6 | Ross, CA | 2,626 | $250,001 | $2,000,001 |
| 7 | Atherton, CA | 7,021 | $250,001 | $2,000,001 |
| 8 | Lafayette, CA | 25,277 | $222,393 | $2,000,001 |
| 9 | Hillsborough, CA | 11,122 | $250,001 | $2,000,001 |
| 10 | Danville, CA | 43,426 | $223,206 | $1,583,300 |
| 11 | Corte Madera, CA | 10,101 | $220,771 | $1,702,000 |
| 12 | Mountain View, CA | 82,363 | $179,917 | $1,927,400 |
| 13 | Tiburon, CA | 9,035 | $212,794 | $2,000,001 |
| 14 | Dublin, CA | 70,542 | $205,046 | $1,224,100 |
| 15 | Burlingame, CA | 30,526 | $168,832 | $2,000,001 |
| 16 | San Anselmo, CA | 12,711 | $170,457 | $1,524,300 |
| 17 | San Ramon, CA | 85,734 | $197,358 | $1,359,100 |
| 18 | Belmont, CA | 27,505 | $207,609 | $2,000,001 |
| 19 | Albany, CA | 19,768 | $135,927 | $1,188,600 |
| 20 | Menlo Park, CA | 32,775 | $206,588 | $2,000,001 |
| 21 | Mill Valley, CA | 14,064 | $208,466 | $2,000,001 |
| 22 | Sausalito, CA | 7,171 | $173,030 | $1,858,900 |
| 23 | Clayton, CA | 10,962 | $172,226 | $1,017,300 |
| 24 | Larkspur, CA | 12,856 | $134,744 | $1,805,100 |
| 25 | Moraga, CA | 16,790 | $199,800 | $1,597,600 |
| 26 | Millbrae, CA | 22,589 | $157,567 | $1,929,700 |
| 27 | Pacifica, CA | 37,527 | $156,819 | $1,211,700 |
| 28 | South San Francisco, CA | 64,487 | $135,909 | $1,160,100 |
| 29 | Walnut Creek, CA | 69,790 | $135,665 | $1,031,100 |
| 30 | Pleasant Hill, CA | 34,335 | $144,513 | $1,040,600 |
| 31 | San Mateo, CA | 103,555 | $152,669 | $1,563,200 |
| 32 | Alameda, CA | 76,876 | $132,015 | $1,203,900 |
| 33 | San Bruno, CA | 42,612 | $135,976 | $1,199,400 |
| 34 | Half Moon Bay, CA | 11,454 | $153,199 | $1,467,000 |
| 35 | Newark, CA | 47,145 | $164,909 | $1,094,200 |
| 36 | El Cerrito, CA | 25,781 | $127,475 | $1,107,500 |
| 37 | Emeryville, CA | 12,756 | $120,302 | $598,300 |
| 38 | Berkeley, CA | 120,223 | $108,558 | $1,351,100 |
| 39 | Hercules, CA | 26,245 | $130,583 | $741,200 |
| 40 | Benicia, CA | 26,861 | $125,040 | $778,600 |
| 41 | Martinez, CA | 36,926 | $125,436 | $824,700 |
| 42 | Fairfax, CA | 7,523 | $131,875 | $1,121,500 |
| 43 | Pinole, CA | 18,835 | $120,833 | $697,100 |
| 44 | East Palo Alto, CA | 29,143 | $104,832 | $1,124,000 |
| 45 | Brisbane, CA | 4,718 | $151,593 | $1,127,200 |
| 46 | Concord, CA | 124,260 | $109,195 | $755,900 |
| 47 | American Canyon, CA | 21,698 | $123,935 | $660,100 |
| 48 | San Leandro, CA | 88,531 | $98,063 | $813,600 |
| 49 | San Rafael, CA | 60,604 | $109,317 | $1,246,200 |
| 50 | Oakland, CA | 438,072 | $97,369 | $924,700 |
| 51 | Novato, CA | 52,689 | $112,193 | $1,007,100 |
| 52 | Hayward, CA | 159,201 | $113,775 | $820,700 |
| 53 | San Pablo, CA | 31,771 | $78,215 | $516,000 |
| 54 | Vallejo, CA | 124,637 | $89,496 | $557,500 |
| 55 | Richmond, CA | 115,396 | $90,038 | $650,100 |