Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban California? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in California, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which California suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$250,001 median income · $4,713,315 median home price
Located in
Santa Clara County, California
Los Altos is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in northern Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 28,976 according to the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $4,189,623 median home price
Located in
Santa Clara County, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census. Located on the Western edge of the Silicon Valley, Saratoga is known locally for its suburban small-town feel, wineries, and high-end restaurants. Major attractions of Saratoga include Villa Montalvo, Hakone Gardens, and the Mountain Winery.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$234,707 median income · $3,189,452 median home price
Located in
Santa Clara County, California
Cupertino is a U.S. city in Santa Clara County, California, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 as of the 2010 census. Forbes ranked it as one of the most educated small towns, with local public schools ranking highly in the country. It is known as the home of the Apple Inc. corporate headquarters.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$202,245 median income · $2,343,977 median home price
Located in
Orange County, California
Villa Park is a city in Orange County, California, United States. It was incorporated in 1962. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 5,812, the lowest population for a city in Orange County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $7,890,841 median home price
Located in
San Mateo County, California
Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 7,159 as of 2013. Atherton is ranked to be the wealthiest city in the United States, and is regularly ranked among the most expensive zip codes in the country.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$152,167 median income · $2,183,118 median home price
Located in
San Diego County, California
Solana Beach is a coastal city in San Diego County, California. The population was 12,867 at the 2010 U.S. Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$204,306 median income · $3,227,202 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Pacific coast south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is one of the three Beach Cities that make up the South Bay. Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach is ranked in the top 1% of high schools nationally. In 2016, Forbes ranked Manhattan Beach at #74 on its list of America’s most expensive zip codes with a median home price of $2,815,327. According to a May 18, 2017 Property Shark study the City of Manhattan Beach 90266 zip code ranked as the 32nd most expensive zip code in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $6,102,345 median home price
Located in
Santa Clara County, California
Los Altos Hills is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States.
The Los Altos Hills ZIP code 94022 appeared on the 2017 Forbes list of America’s most expensive ZIP codes; 94022 was ranked the 3rd most expensive in the United States, with a median home price of $7,755,000.
Los Altos Hills has a ban on commercial zones, which was upheld by the California Court of Appeal in 1973. The town’s two retail commercial operations are the book store on the campus of Foothill College and the gift shop on the grounds of the Immaculate Heart Monastery of the Poor Clare Colettines. The town does not have a post office or library, with mail delivery provided from nearby Los Altos.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$242,014 median income · $2,763,820 median home price
Located in
Los Angeles County, California
Palos Verdes Estates is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The city was master-planned by the noted American landscape architect and planner Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. The city is located along the Southern California coastline of the Pacific Ocean.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $2,459,056 median home price
Located in
Alameda County, California
Piedmont is a small, mostly-residential, semi-suburban city located in Alameda County, California, United States. Piedmont is completely surrounded by the city of Oakland. Its residential population was 10,667 at the 2010 census. The name comes after the region of Piedmont in Italy, and literally means foothill. Piedmont was incorporated in 1907, and was developed significantly in the 1920s and 1930s. The Piedmont Unified School District includes three elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools.
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
On the map
Where California’s best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Golden State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in California. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of California, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in California across these criteria from one to 284, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In California.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in California.
Read on to see why Los Altos is the ‘burb with the most, while Victorville is probably not the best place to live in California.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In California
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Altos | 30,698 | $250,001 | $4,713,315 |
| 2 | Saratoga | 30,319 | $250,001 | $4,189,623 |
| 3 | Cupertino | 58,566 | $234,707 | $3,189,452 |
| 4 | Villa Park | 5,748 | $202,245 | $2,343,977 |
| 5 | Atherton | 6,993 | $250,001 | $7,890,841 |
| 6 | Solana Beach | 12,823 | $152,167 | $2,183,118 |
| 7 | Manhattan Beach | 34,210 | $204,306 | $3,227,202 |
| 8 | Los Altos Hills | 8,377 | $250,001 | $6,102,345 |
| 9 | Palos Verdes Estates | 12,925 | $242,014 | $2,763,820 |
| 10 | Piedmont | 10,945 | $250,001 | $2,459,056 |
| 11 | Lafayette | 25,285 | $228,250 | $1,934,581 |
| 11 | Aliso Viejo | 51,113 | $142,439 | $1,012,225 |
| 13 | Orinda | 19,514 | $250,001 | $1,985,117 |
| 14 | San Marino | 12,216 | $214,167 | $2,837,216 |
| 15 | Sierra Madre | 10,940 | $143,547 | $1,437,492 |
| 16 | Hillsborough | 11,099 | $250,001 | $5,279,135 |
| 17 | Los Gatos | 32,786 | $217,554 | $2,705,289 |
| 18 | Newport Beach | 83,845 | $156,867 | $3,625,146 |
| 19 | Sunnyvale | 154,236 | $186,170 | $2,168,909 |
| 20 | Danville | 43,401 | $232,216 | $1,908,521 |
| 21 | San Ramon | 85,993 | $196,161 | $1,543,534 |
| 22 | Rancho Palos Verdes | 40,864 | $179,623 | $1,824,948 |
| 23 | Mission Viejo | 92,151 | $136,123 | $1,229,743 |
| 24 | Dana Point | 32,790 | $141,520 | $1,736,393 |
| 24 | Mountain View | 83,732 | $189,917 | $2,037,086 |
| 26 | Rancho Santa Margarita | 46,990 | $152,560 | $1,029,346 |
| 27 | Pacifica | 37,261 | $160,523 | $1,284,847 |
| 28 | Palo Alto | 67,237 | $231,101 | $3,722,200 |
| 29 | Encinitas | 61,480 | $162,229 | $1,889,066 |
| 30 | Laguna Beach | 22,710 | $143,843 | $2,949,835 |
| 31 | Yorba Linda | 67,170 | $157,582 | $1,419,513 |
| 32 | Agoura Hills | 19,721 | $171,302 | $1,259,726 |
| 33 | Menlo Park | 32,727 | $210,025 | $2,865,159 |
| 34 | Tiburon | 9,012 | $232,969 | $3,020,895 |
| 35 | Mill Valley | 14,012 | $206,212 | $2,073,166 |
| 36 | Hermosa Beach | 19,063 | $166,442 | $2,245,351 |
| 37 | Belmont | 27,337 | $205,297 | $2,332,686 |
| 38 | Albany | 19,414 | $144,107 | $1,261,177 |
| 39 | Moraga | 16,769 | $216,193 | $1,666,830 |
| 40 | Rolling Hills Estates | 8,131 | $191,895 | $1,901,413 |
| 41 | Laguna Niguel | 64,139 | $140,452 | $1,499,546 |
| 42 | Poway | 48,713 | $148,359 | $1,230,064 |
| 43 | Lake Forest | 86,281 | $135,175 | $1,208,686 |
| 44 | Santa Clara | 130,256 | $178,958 | $1,782,192 |
| 45 | Coronado | 19,015 | $134,534 | $2,508,031 |
| 46 | Scotts Valley | 12,044 | $143,750 | $1,260,978 |
| 47 | Dublin | 70,803 | $214,385 | $1,305,295 |
| 47 | Clayton | 10,937 | $175,707 | $1,057,924 |
| 49 | San Carlos | 29,614 | $237,470 | $2,459,877 |
| 50 | Redondo Beach | 69,291 | $150,245 | $1,500,192 |
| 51 | South Pasadena | 26,068 | $127,175 | $1,692,678 |
| 52 | South San Francisco | 64,305 | $136,578 | $1,242,214 |
| 53 | San Clemente | 63,273 | $140,062 | $1,721,005 |
| 54 | Pleasanton | 76,960 | $190,124 | $1,601,646 |
| 55 | San Mateo | 103,105 | $153,504 | $1,686,905 |
| 56 | Rocklin | 73,327 | $124,168 | $692,668 |
| 57 | Sausalito | 7,141 | $182,357 | $1,505,307 |
| 58 | Ripon | 16,201 | $133,380 | $682,800 |
| 59 | La Habra Heights | 5,478 | $179,583 | $1,399,870 |
| 60 | La Palma | 15,272 | $117,989 | $1,203,550 |
| 61 | San Bruno | 42,307 | $141,272 | $1,327,402 |
| 62 | Burlingame | 30,525 | $174,000 | $2,761,630 |
| 63 | Moorpark | 35,854 | $148,480 | $939,094 |
| 64 | Campbell | 42,781 | $145,268 | $1,977,422 |
| 65 | Livermore | 85,522 | $160,775 | $1,122,823 |
| 66 | Milpitas | 78,578 | $178,798 | $1,502,891 |
| 67 | Camarillo | 70,186 | $113,428 | $924,929 |
| 68 | Corte Madera | 10,077 | $232,763 | $1,838,958 |
| 69 | Carpinteria | 13,036 | $100,658 | $1,506,926 |
| 70 | Laguna Hills | 30,740 | $128,851 | $1,243,180 |
| 71 | Carlsbad | 114,373 | $142,748 | $1,370,649 |
| 72 | Fountain Valley | 56,258 | $115,237 | $1,394,237 |
| 73 | Eastvale | 70,633 | $160,069 | $949,255 |
| 74 | Thousand Oaks | 125,205 | $135,603 | $1,049,634 |
| 75 | Morgan Hill | 45,425 | $163,920 | $1,356,869 |
| 76 | Woodside | 5,126 | $250,001 | $3,891,384 |
| 77 | Benicia | 26,749 | $121,204 | $781,134 |
| 78 | Santee | 59,332 | $113,394 | $803,482 |
| 79 | San Juan Capistrano | 35,095 | $129,457 | $1,342,011 |
| 80 | Simi Valley | 125,634 | $122,081 | $844,909 |
| 81 | Lincoln | 52,956 | $111,990 | $639,029 |
| 82 | Larkspur | 12,854 | $140,417 | $2,129,545 |
| 83 | Folsom | 83,916 | $139,804 | $763,784 |
| 84 | El Segundo | 16,769 | $150,737 | $1,759,408 |
| 85 | Cypress | 49,498 | $130,215 | $1,085,691 |
| 86 | Martinez | 36,903 | $127,355 | $773,745 |
| 87 | Huntington Beach | 195,240 | $120,919 | $1,366,658 |
| 88 | La Mirada | 47,180 | $109,288 | $887,479 |
| 89 | Canyon Lake | 11,119 | $126,926 | $704,581 |
| 90 | Roseville | 155,955 | $119,288 | $644,324 |
| 91 | Winters | 7,583 | $122,951 | $614,926 |
| 92 | Orange | 138,266 | $117,113 | $1,143,788 |
| 93 | Fairfax | 7,516 | $141,653 | $1,213,199 |
| 94 | San Anselmo | 12,679 | $173,641 | $1,647,302 |
| 95 | Hercules | 26,302 | $129,397 | $754,023 |
| 96 | Pleasant Hill | 34,235 | $145,029 | $1,000,859 |
| 97 | Capitola | 9,689 | $102,976 | $1,233,202 |
| 98 | Placentia | 52,826 | $115,929 | $1,117,228 |
| 99 | Ojai | 7,577 | $82,656 | $1,141,102 |
| 100 | Calabasas | 22,669 | $165,288 | $1,722,904 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 284 California suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In California
If you’re measuring the locations in California where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in California are Los Altos, Saratoga, Cupertino, Villa Park, Atherton, Solana Beach, Manhattan Beach, Los Altos Hills, Palos Verdes Estates, and Piedmont. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs In California FAQs
What is the best suburb in California?
Los Altos is the best suburb to live in California for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. It pairs a $250,001 median household income with a $4,713,315 median home value.
What are the best suburbs in California?
The best suburbs in California are Los Altos, Saratoga, Cupertino, Villa Park, Atherton, Solana Beach, Manhattan Beach, Los Altos Hills, Palos Verdes Estates, and Piedmont. We ranked all 284 qualifying California suburbs.
What counts as a suburb?
For this ranking, a suburb is a town within 30 miles of a city with more than 200,000 people. 284 California places fit that definition this year.
How do you rank the best suburbs?
Suburbs are scored on home values, income, density, unemployment, commute times, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best average across all eight wins.
Which California suburb ranked last?
Victorville came in last of the 284 California suburbs we scored. Somebody has to, and the full ordering is in the table above.
