The 10 Best Sunnyvale Suburbs To Live In For 2022


We analyzed over 43 places around Sunnyvale to identify the most kickass place to live.

Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best Sunnyvale suburbs.

Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.

There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.

But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.

Of course, not all suburbs of Sunnyvale are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...

Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Sunnyvale for 2022:

  1. Los Altos
  2. Los Altos Hills
  3. Monte Sereno
  4. Hillsborough
  5. San Carlos
  6. Atherton
  7. Woodside
  8. Portola Valley
  9. Saratoga
  10. Cupertino

What's the best suburb of Sunnyvale? Los Altos ranks as the best suburb of Sunnyvale for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Los Altos, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.

We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Sunnyvale 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.

Note: 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 larger selection of suburbs.

Feel free to check out some more reading about California:

The 10 Best Sunnyvale Suburbs To Live For 2022

Los Altos is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Sunnyvale area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Los Altos."

Everyone here is rich; families average $240,094 a year, which is the 6th highest in the Sunnyvale region. And only 3.59% are out of work. Homes average more than $2,000,001 each.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 30,878
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $240,094
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 2.8%
More on Los Altos: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Los Altos, CA

Los Altos Hills is the second best 'burb we looked at near Sunnyvale for 2022.

It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 0.44% of residents lack insurance, good for best.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 8,496
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.0%
More on Los Altos Hills: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Los Altos Hills, CA

Source: Public domain

Here in Monte Sereno, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Sunnyvale 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 Monte Sereno.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 3,511
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 3)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 1.3%
More on Monte Sereno: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Monte Sereno, CA

Hillsborough ranks as the 4th best suburb of Sunnyvale for 2022.

You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Hillsborough and the schools are some of the best around.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 11,608
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Hillsborough: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Hillsborough, CA

Coming in as the fifth best is San Carlos.

San Carlos gets kudos for having the 14th most expensive homes in the Sunnyvale area, where houses sell for an average of $1,756,800. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 29,647
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 3)
Median Income: $189,739
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.2%
More on San Carlos: Real Estate | Data | Photos

San Carlos, CA

Atherton 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 4.46% which is 34th best in the area.

According to online reports, Atherton is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Sunnyvale area, meaning you need to get in soon.

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,060
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 3)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.7%
More on Atherton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Atherton, CA

Source: Public domain

The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Woodside.

Woodside 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 13.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,593
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 6)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Woodside: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Woodside, CA

Portola Valley 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 2.25% of people lack insurance, good for 13th in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 4,568
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4)
Median Income: $235,469
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on Portola Valley: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Portola Valley, CA

Is 'Everything Better In Saratoga?'

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.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 31,084
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Median Income: $201,046
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 4.1%
More on Saratoga: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Saratoga, CA

Source: Public domain

And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Cupertino.

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.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 59,799
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Income: $182,857
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on Cupertino: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Cupertino, CA

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Sunnyvale for 2022

Figuring out the best suburbs around Sunnyvale was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

  • 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

Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Sunnyvale.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 43 suburbs to evaluate around Sunnyvale.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 43 in each category, where 1 was the "best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Sunnyvale." We're lookin' at you, Los Altos. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.

Summary: Welcome to the Best Sunnyvale 'Burbs of 2022

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.

So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Sunnyvale, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Sunnyvale Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income
1 Los Altos, CA 30,878 $240,094
2 Los Altos Hills, CA 8,496 $250,001
3 Monte Sereno, CA 3,511 $250,001
4 Hillsborough, CA 11,608 $250,001
5 San Carlos, CA 29,647 $189,739
6 Atherton, CA 7,060 $250,001
7 Woodside, CA 5,593 $250,001
8 Portola Valley, CA 4,568 $235,469
9 Saratoga, CA 31,084 $201,046
10 Cupertino, CA 59,799 $182,857
11 Los Gatos, CA 31,943 $156,270
12 Burlingame, CA 30,071 $138,344
13 Palo Alto, CA 67,973 $174,003
14 Menlo Park, CA 35,211 $167,567
15 Danville, CA 44,933 $167,827
16 San Ramon, CA 81,344 $167,345
17 Pleasanton, CA 79,975 $160,689
18 Dublin, CA 63,856 $152,745
19 Belmont, CA 26,963 $160,046
20 Millbrae, CA 22,998 $126,319
21 Fremont, CA 234,829 $142,374
22 Mountain View, CA 80,104 $144,116
23 Pacifica, CA 38,663 $130,466
24 Livermore, CA 91,763 $131,664
25 Campbell, CA 42,891 $122,644
26 Santa Clara, CA 126,723 $136,870
27 Milpitas, CA 75,182 $137,000
28 Newark, CA 48,148 $127,619
29 South San Francisco, CA 66,878 $106,005
30 San Mateo, CA 103,619 $126,102
31 Half Moon Bay, CA 12,583 $131,233
32 San Bruno, CA 44,663 $113,103
33 Alameda, CA 79,827 $106,737
34 Morgan Hill, CA 44,789 $128,373
35 Capitola, CA 10,090 $81,617
36 Scotts Valley, CA 12,055 $103,783
37 Brisbane, CA 4,645 $114,583
38 East Palo Alto, CA 29,448 $83,511
39 San Jose, CA 1,029,409 $117,324
40 Santa Cruz, CA 65,011 $86,618
41 San Leandro, CA 90,489 $86,604
42 Oakland, CA 422,575 $80,143
43 Hayward, CA 158,817 $91,490

How Is Your Town In ?

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.