You have to be either a trust fund baby, married to a Kardashian, super good at a sport, or a famous movie producer to live in our top ten richest cities in California for 2026.
You can stop searching if you’re looking for safe cities and neighborhoods, excellent schools, large green spaces, grand swimming pools, good food, and high-end shopping with a paycheck to match. We found the cities with the highest home prices and incomes in California.
Cities like Palos Verdes Estates and Pleasanton grace the Pacific Coast. And cities like San Ramon and Mill Valley are the playground to San Francisco.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In California For 2026
To narrow down the richest cities in California, we looked at median household income and home prices for all cities also with a population of at least 3,000. This filter left us with 446 cities.
What is the richest city in California? The richest city in California for 2026 is Atherton.
To take a closer look at the wealthiest cities in California for 2026, warm up your yacht, head to the sunny side of Half Moon Beach, and read on.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about California:
The 10 Richest Cities In California For 2026
1. Atherton
/10
Population: 6,993
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $7,890,840
More on Atherton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
2. Los Altos Hills
/10
Population: 8,377
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $6,102,344
More on Los Altos Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
3. Hillsborough
/10
Population: 11,099
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $5,279,135
More on Hillsborough: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Los Altos
/10
Population: 30,698
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $4,713,314
More on Los Altos: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
5. Portola Valley
/10
Population: 4,305
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $4,275,092
More on Portola Valley: Data | Movers
6. Saratoga
/10
Population: 30,319
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $4,189,622
More on Saratoga: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Woodside
/10
Population: 5,126
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $3,891,384
More on Woodside: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
8. Palo Alto
/10
Population: 67,237
Median Income: $231,101
Median Home Values: $3,722,200
More on Palo Alto: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
9. Cupertino
/10
Population: 58,566
Median Income: $234,707
Median Home Values: $3,189,451
More on Cupertino: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
10. Tiburon
/10
Population: 9,012
Median Income: $232,969
Median Home Values: $3,020,895
More on Tiburon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In California For 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 446 places with more than 3,000 people in California, we ranked each place from 1 to 446 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Atherton, crowned the “Richest City In California For 2026.”
The data has been updated for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the wealthiest cities in California.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 446 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In California For 2026
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in California, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in California.
The richest cities in California are Atherton, Los Altos Hills, Hillsborough, Los Altos, Portola Valley, Saratoga, Woodside, Palo Alto, Cupertino, and Tiburon.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in California, according to data:
Poorest: Needles
2nd Poorest: Clearlake
3rd Poorest: Yreka
For more California reading, check out:
- Worst Places To Live In California
- Safest Places In California
- Cheapest Places To Live In California
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In California
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atherton | 3.25 | $250,001 | $7,890,840 |
| 2 | Los Altos Hills | 3.75 | $250,001 | $6,102,344 |
| 3 | Hillsborough | 4.25 | $250,001 | $5,279,135 |
| 4 | Los Altos | 4.75 | $250,001 | $4,713,314 |
| 5 | Portola Valley | 5.25 | $250,001 | $4,275,092 |
| 6 | Saratoga | 5.75 | $250,001 | $4,189,622 |
| 7 | Woodside | 6.25 | $250,001 | $3,891,384 |
| 8 | Palo Alto | 12.5 | $231,101 | $3,722,200 |
| 9 | Cupertino | 13.0 | $234,707 | $3,189,451 |
| 10 | Tiburon | 14.5 | $232,969 | $3,020,895 |
| 11 | Piedmont | 14.75 | $250,001 | $2,459,056 |
| 12 | Palos Verdes Estates | 15.0 | $242,014 | $2,763,820 |
| 13 | San Carlos | 17.5 | $237,470 | $2,459,877 |
| 14 | Monte Sereno | 18.75 | $250,001 | $2,108,567 |
| 15 | Manhattan Beach | 19.0 | $204,306 | $3,227,202 |
| 16 | Del Mar | 19.0 | $199,152 | $3,626,889 |
| 17 | San Marino | 20.0 | $214,167 | $2,837,216 |
| 18 | Los Gatos | 20.0 | $217,554 | $2,705,289 |
| 19 | Menlo Park | 20.0 | $210,025 | $2,865,158 |
| 20 | Orinda | 20.75 | $250,001 | $1,985,116 |
| 21 | Malibu | 22.5 | $194,421 | $3,142,247 |
| 22 | Belmont | 26.0 | $205,297 | $2,332,686 |
| 23 | Villa Park | 26.5 | $202,245 | $2,343,977 |
| 24 | Danville | 28.0 | $232,216 | $1,908,520 |
| 25 | Lafayette | 28.0 | $228,250 | $1,934,580 |
| 26 | Mill Valley | 29.0 | $206,212 | $2,073,166 |
| 27 | Corte Madera | 29.5 | $232,763 | $1,838,958 |
| 28 | Burlingame | 32.0 | $174,000 | $2,761,629 |
| 29 | Sunnyvale | 32.5 | $186,170 | $2,168,909 |
| 30 | Foster City | 34.0 | $199,143 | $1,911,067 |
| 31 | Mountain View | 34.5 | $189,917 | $2,037,086 |
| 32 | Newport Beach | 35.5 | $156,867 | $3,625,145 |
| 33 | Rolling Hills Estates | 36.5 | $191,895 | $1,901,413 |
| 34 | Moraga | 37.5 | $216,193 | $1,666,829 |
| 35 | Hermosa Beach | 38.0 | $166,442 | $2,245,351 |
| 36 | Millbrae | 42.0 | $163,476 | $2,082,464 |
| 37 | Rancho Palos Verdes | 42.5 | $179,623 | $1,824,947 |
| 38 | Santa Clara | 44.0 | $178,958 | $1,782,191 |
| 39 | Laguna Beach | 45.0 | $143,843 | $2,949,835 |
| 40 | Pleasanton | 45.5 | $190,124 | $1,601,646 |
| 41 | San Ramon | 46.5 | $196,161 | $1,543,534 |
| 42 | Solana Beach | 46.5 | $152,167 | $2,183,118 |
| 43 | Encinitas | 48.0 | $162,229 | $1,889,066 |
| 44 | Westlake Village | 48.5 | $179,954 | $1,585,474 |
| 45 | Calabasas | 49.5 | $165,288 | $1,722,904 |
| 46 | Redwood City | 50.0 | $157,814 | $1,897,528 |
| 47 | San Anselmo | 50.5 | $173,641 | $1,647,301 |
| 48 | Fremont | 50.5 | $181,506 | $1,543,131 |
| 49 | Sausalito | 51.0 | $182,357 | $1,505,306 |
| 50 | Campbell | 54.0 | $145,268 | $1,977,422 |
| 51 | Milpitas | 54.5 | $178,798 | $1,502,890 |
| 52 | Beverly Hills | 55.0 | $132,977 | $3,662,756 |
| 53 | Dublin | 56.0 | $214,385 | $1,305,295 |
| 54 | El Segundo | 56.5 | $150,737 | $1,759,407 |
| 55 | San Mateo | 58.0 | $153,504 | $1,686,905 |
| 56 | Larkspur | 58.0 | $140,417 | $2,129,544 |
| 57 | Coronado | 59.0 | $134,534 | $2,508,030 |
| 58 | Half Moon Bay | 59.0 | $157,884 | $1,573,307 |
| 59 | La Habra Heights | 59.5 | $179,583 | $1,399,870 |
| 60 | Indian Wells | 62.0 | $162,990 | $1,441,367 |
| 61 | St. Helena | 62.0 | $148,750 | $1,633,317 |
| 62 | Dana Point | 65.0 | $141,520 | $1,736,392 |
| 63 | Yorba Linda | 66.5 | $157,582 | $1,419,512 |
| 64 | Morgan Hill | 67.0 | $163,920 | $1,356,869 |
| 65 | Redondo Beach | 67.0 | $150,245 | $1,500,192 |
| 66 | Carmel-By-The-Sea | 67.0 | $129,250 | $2,364,653 |
| 67 | San Clemente | 68.5 | $140,062 | $1,721,005 |
| 68 | San Jose | 70.0 | $146,427 | $1,463,614 |
| 69 | Newark | 71.5 | $169,064 | $1,260,997 |
| 70 | Agoura Hills | 72.0 | $171,302 | $1,259,726 |
| 71 | Pacifica | 74.0 | $160,523 | $1,284,847 |
| 72 | Sierra Madre | 74.5 | $143,547 | $1,437,492 |
| 73 | Irvine | 76.0 | $136,719 | $1,557,981 |
| 74 | Laguna Niguel | 76.5 | $140,452 | $1,499,545 |
| 75 | Carlsbad | 79.0 | $142,748 | $1,370,648 |
| 76 | Albany | 84.0 | $144,107 | $1,261,176 |
| 77 | San Francisco | 84.0 | $140,970 | $1,356,661 |
| 78 | South Pasadena | 84.0 | $127,175 | $1,692,677 |
| 79 | Poway | 85.5 | $148,359 | $1,230,063 |
| 80 | San Bruno | 85.5 | $141,272 | $1,327,402 |
| 81 | Scotts Valley | 86.0 | $143,750 | $1,260,977 |
| 82 | Brisbane | 87.0 | $156,169 | $1,159,532 |
| 83 | Livermore | 88.0 | $160,775 | $1,122,822 |
| 84 | Clayton | 89.0 | $175,707 | $1,057,924 |
| 85 | Fairfax | 92.0 | $141,653 | $1,213,199 |
| 86 | South San Francisco | 95.5 | $136,578 | $1,242,213 |
| 87 | Union City | 96.0 | $133,715 | $1,276,126 |
| 88 | San Juan Capistrano | 96.5 | $129,457 | $1,342,010 |
| 89 | Mission Viejo | 97.5 | $136,123 | $1,229,743 |
| 90 | Santa Monica | 99.5 | $114,885 | $1,703,947 |
| 91 | Lake Forest | 100.5 | $135,175 | $1,208,686 |
| 92 | Alameda | 101.0 | $137,697 | $1,155,483 |
| 93 | Rancho Santa Margarita | 102.5 | $152,560 | $1,029,345 |
| 94 | Goleta | 104.0 | $122,370 | $1,364,877 |
| 95 | Laguna Hills | 104.5 | $128,851 | $1,243,180 |
| 96 | Huntington Beach | 106.5 | $120,919 | $1,366,657 |
| 97 | Eastvale | 106.5 | $160,069 | $949,255 |
| 98 | Walnut | 108.5 | $129,449 | $1,197,951 |
| 99 | Santa Barbara | 110.5 | $106,182 | $1,834,094 |
| 100 | Brea | 110.5 | $131,129 | $1,140,405 |