The 10 Best Suburbs In California For 2024


The best suburbs in California are Los Altos and Atherton for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

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 of Sacramento, 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.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Los Altos is the place to be when it comes to being a soccer mom in suburban California.

So if you’re thinking of packing up your mini van and making a move to a quiet place to live in California, we’ve got you covered.

Keep on reading for a detailed methodology. Or, check out the best places to live in California and the best places to raise a family in California.

Best Suburbs In California For 2024

Los Altos, CA

Source: Wikipedia User User:Kelly | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 31,133
Median Income: $250,001
Average Home Price: $4,060,663
More on Los Altos: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Los Altos is located 12 miles west of Fremont.

Atherton, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,124
Median Income: $250,001
Average Home Price: $7,732,900
More on Atherton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Atherton is located 14 miles west of Fremont.

Cupertino, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 59,763
Median Income: $223,667
Average Home Price: $2,701,204
More on Cupertino: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Cupertino is located 12 miles west of San Jose.

Los Altos Hills, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 8,441
Median Income: $250,001
Average Home Price: $5,525,121
More on Los Altos Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Los Altos Hills is located 13 miles west of Fremont.

Saratoga, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 30,771
Median Income: $237,730
Average Home Price: $3,602,379
More on Saratoga: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Saratoga is located 11 miles west of San Jose.

Villa Park, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Jeaniac | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,814
Median Income: $189,306
Average Home Price: $2,030,498
More on Villa Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Villa Park is located 3 miles west of Anaheim.

Danville, CA

Source: Wikipedia User ShakataGaNai; cropped by Beyond My Ken (talk) 05:53, 17 April 2012 (UTC) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 43,449
Median Income: $209,518
Average Home Price: $1,861,576
More on Danville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Danville is located 14 miles east of Oakland.

Aliso Viejo, CA

Source: Wikipedia User KennethHan | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 51,896
Median Income: $131,708
Average Home Price: $915,734
More on Aliso Viejo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Aliso Viejo is located 7 miles south of Irvine.

Palos Verdes Estates, CA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC SA 1.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 13,219
Median Income: $224,766
Average Home Price: $2,717,769
More on Palos Verdes Estates: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Palos Verdes Estates is located 13 miles west of Long Beach.

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 47,702
Median Income: $150,146
Average Home Price: $938,523
More on Rancho Santa Margarita: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Rancho Santa Margarita is located 10 miles east of Irvine.

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.

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, Atherton, Cupertino, Los Altos Hills, Saratoga, Villa Park, Danville, Aliso Viejo, Palos Verdes Estates, and Rancho Santa Margarita.

Here’s a look at the worst suburbs in California according to the data:

  1. Victorville
  2. Hesperia
  3. Wasco

For more California reading, check out:

The Best Suburbs In California

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Price
1 Los Altos 31,133 $250,001 $4,060,663
2 Atherton 7,124 $250,001 $7,732,900
3 Cupertino 59,763 $223,667 $2,701,204
4 Los Altos Hills 8,441 $250,001 $5,525,121
5 Saratoga 30,771 $237,730 $3,602,379
6 Villa Park 5,814 $189,306 $2,030,498
7 Danville 43,449 $209,518 $1,861,576
8 Aliso Viejo 51,896 $131,708 $915,734
9 Palos Verdes Estates 13,219 $224,766 $2,717,769
10 Rancho Santa Margarita 47,702 $150,146 $938,523
11 Orinda 19,477 $250,001 $2,000,722
12 Mission Viejo 93,233 $136,570 $1,077,063
13 Hillsborough 11,258 $250,001 $5,101,758
14 Manhattan Beach 35,123 $187,217 $2,990,671
15 Solana Beach 12,946 $137,647 $2,030,109
16 Sierra Madre 11,151 $128,056 $1,347,845
17 Los Gatos 33,093 $198,117 $2,554,492
18 Piedmont 11,161 $250,001 $2,521,288
19 Palo Alto 67,901 $214,118 $3,220,174
20 Menlo Park 33,324 $198,273 $2,574,718
21 Sunnyvale 154,573 $174,506 $1,875,596
22 San Ramon 86,119 $190,829 $1,550,726
23 Tiburon 9,115 $200,886 $2,963,608
24 Newport Beach 85,159 $149,471 $3,132,424
25 Rancho Palos Verdes 41,805 $166,747 $1,836,118
26 Mountain View 82,132 $174,156 $1,845,861
27 San Marino 12,442 $174,253 $2,524,471
28 Dublin 71,068 $191,039 $1,293,624
29 Scotts Valley 12,239 $136,867 $1,261,441
30 Encinitas 61,942 $142,506 $1,808,679
31 Belmont 27,820 $185,944 $2,118,293
32 Yorba Linda 68,035 $148,325 $1,245,181
33 Mill Valley 14,199 $202,986 $2,043,408
34 Dana Point 33,025 $119,632 $1,541,691
35 Lafayette 25,310 $219,250 $1,924,093
36 South Pasadena 26,583 $127,882 $1,650,214
37 Pleasanton 78,691 $181,639 $1,582,884
38 Laguna Niguel 64,259 $135,822 $1,312,612
39 Hermosa Beach 19,551 $149,500 $2,169,343
40 La Habra Heights 5,599 $179,990 $1,294,550
41 Clayton 11,070 $164,899 $1,066,247
42 Pacifica 38,048 $151,849 $1,246,502
43 Agoura Hills 20,088 $157,930 $1,186,593
44 San Clemente 64,232 $134,730 $1,564,490
45 Moorpark 36,073 $143,218 $905,462
46 Coronado 18,871 $125,558 $2,474,258
47 Lake Forest 85,583 $128,358 $1,056,345
48 Moraga 16,859 $193,707 $1,737,291
49 Rocklin 71,676 $116,006 $672,750
50 Campbell 43,464 $141,794 $1,652,630
51 Camarillo 70,622 $105,141 $857,783
52 San Carlos 30,490 $219,413 $2,206,123
53 Burlingame 30,995 $165,940 $2,516,360
54 Rolling Hills Estates 8,214 $179,917 $1,986,586
55 Redondo Beach 70,620 $134,033 $1,379,761
56 Folsom 81,077 $134,935 $747,314
57 Santa Clara 128,058 $165,352 $1,524,900
58 Milpitas 79,092 $166,769 $1,346,828
59 San Bruno 43,218 $131,669 $1,253,713
60 Livermore 87,154 $152,590 $1,087,248
61 Thousand Oaks 126,532 $125,399 $1,001,691
62 Laguna Hills 31,170 $122,902 $1,076,942
63 San Mateo 104,165 $149,152 $1,510,087
64 Hercules 26,041 $125,880 $800,088
65 Albany 20,027 $124,469 $1,208,704
66 Carpinteria 13,187 $103,879 $1,343,077
67 Laguna Beach 22,943 $141,875 $2,817,490
68 Sausalito 7,233 $163,170 $1,538,563
69 Poway 48,737 $135,605 $1,140,886
70 San Anselmo 12,761 $165,366 $1,659,899
71 South San Francisco 65,596 $127,062 $1,191,225
72 Fountain Valley 56,754 $108,860 $1,200,770
73 Ripon 16,092 $115,583 $657,870
74 Simi Valley 126,153 $112,144 $801,530
75 Morgan Hill 45,291 $152,199 $1,310,579
76 Eastvale 69,594 $151,615 $884,749
77 El Segundo 17,081 $142,596 $1,606,335
78 Fairfax 7,567 $126,034 $1,234,232
79 Woodside 5,256 $250,001 $3,633,237
80 Benicia 27,040 $124,375 $804,094
81 Roseville 148,879 $112,265 $625,711
82 Martinez 37,093 $124,669 $774,783
83 Winters 7,270 $128,679 $586,928
84 Loomis 6,831 $100,159 $882,385
85 Walnut Creek 69,809 $129,971 $1,086,764
86 Torrance 145,454 $109,554 $1,140,607
87 Lincoln 50,131 $99,434 $631,747
88 La Palma 15,522 $113,398 $1,059,180
89 Orange 138,728 $109,335 $991,595
90 Walnut 28,212 $130,444 $1,093,688
91 Corte Madera 10,155 $210,560 $1,760,932
92 Carlsbad 114,745 $134,139 $1,449,918
93 Huntington Beach 197,481 $114,747 $1,206,669
94 Cypress 49,955 $117,461 $964,692
95 Laguna Woods 17,452 $56,928 $409,471
96 La Mirada 47,644 $104,130 $822,102
97 Larkspur 12,969 $147,772 $2,123,779
98 Canyon Lake 11,108 $120,938 $675,301
99 Pleasant Hill 34,504 $137,685 $996,672
100 Santee 59,497 $101,777 $763,333
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.