There are all types when it comes to being a snob in California. You’ve got your Wine Snobs, Book Snobs, and, of course, Clothes Snobs. Then there are the Technology Snobs, Car Snobs, and yes, even City Snobs — as in, I’m better than you because I live in (insert snooty city here).
How can we tell which California cities are the snobbiest? By measuring snobby things, that’s how.
We used Saturday Night Science to look at things like expensive homes, high incomes, and overly educated populations by city in California. These are the criteria you’d argue with a friend over a foodie dinner about who’s snobbier.
After analyzing 411 of the state’s most populous areas over 5,000 people, we came up with this ranking of the ten snobbiest places in the state of California.
The Californian in these places aren’t snobby, they just know they’re better than you.
$250,001 median income · $4,713,315 median home · #4 income in California
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 · $6,102,345 median home · #4 income in California
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
$250,001 median income · $5,279,135 median home · #4 income in California
Located in
San Mateo County, California
Hillsborough is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is located 17 miles south of San Francisco on the San Francisco Peninsula, bordered by Burlingame to the north, San Mateo to the east, Highlands-Baywood Park to the south, and Interstate 280 to the west. The population was 11,273 as of 2013.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $7,890,841 median home · #4 income in California
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
$250,001 median income · $4,189,623 median home · #4 income in California
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
$250,001 median income · $2,459,056 median home · #4 income in California
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
$250,001 median income · $3,891,384 median home · #4 income in California
Located in
San Mateo County, California
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$234,707 median income · $3,189,452 median home · #11 income in California
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
$231,101 median income · $3,722,200 median home · #15 income in California
Located in
Santa Clara County, California
Palo Alto is a charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$232,969 median income · $3,020,895 median home · #12 income in California
Located in
Marin County, California
Tiburon is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. It is located on the Tiburon Peninsula, which reaches south into the San Francisco Bay. The smaller city of Belvedere occupies the south-west part of the peninsula and is contiguous with Tiburon. Tiburon is bordered by Corte Madera to the north and Mill Valley to the west, but is otherwise mostly surrounded by the Bay. Besides Belvedere and Tiburon, much of the peninsula is unincorporated, including portions of the north side and the communities of Strawberry and Paradise Cay.
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 the snobs live in California
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the snobbiest cities in the Golden State
Do you think we’d just come up with this list willy-nilly? Not a chance – we only use Saturday Night Science around here.
We gathered up all of the places in California with populations of 5,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 411 places. Then, we looked at each place in terms of these snoot-er-iffic criteria (And no, it’s not a word. English snob.):
- Median home price (Higher is snobbier)
- Median household income (Higher is snobbier)
- Percent of population with a college degree (Higher is snobbier)
Incomes and college education levels come from the American Community Survey. Home prices come from Zillow.
Turned out this simple criteria was much better at sniffing out the snobby places then more snobby criteria like:
- Libaries per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Museums per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Private schools per capita (Higher is snobbier)
From there, we ranked each of our 411 places in each category with scores from one to 411. We then averaged each place’s ranking into one overall score, where the lowest score went to the snobbiest place in California. So let’s all flip a table in honor of Los Altos (with our pinkies up, of course.)
Before you get upset and ruin your blowout or something drastic here, let’s remember that this is all in good fun. Would we live in one of these 10 places if we had the chance? Of course, we would.
And it’s not like your real estate agent would ever point out how snobby the town you’re moving to is. We’re here to keep you grounded, even if you’re wearing a monocle.
The full plate
Table: The Snobbiest Cities In California For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Snob Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Adult Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Altos | 3.50 | 30,698 | $250,001 | $4,713,315 | 88.0% |
| 2 | Los Altos Hills | 3.50 | 8,377 | $250,001 | $6,102,345 | 85.0% |
| 3 | Hillsborough | 4.17 | 11,099 | $250,001 | $5,279,135 | 84.0% |
| 4 | Atherton | 4.33 | 6,993 | $250,001 | $7,890,841 | 83.0% |
| 5 | Saratoga | 6.67 | 30,319 | $250,001 | $4,189,623 | 82.0% |
| 6 | Piedmont | 9.17 | 10,945 | $250,001 | $2,459,056 | 89.0% |
| 7 | Woodside | 9.67 | 5,126 | $250,001 | $3,891,384 | 77.0% |
| 8 | Cupertino | 9.83 | 58,566 | $234,707 | $3,189,452 | 83.0% |
| 9 | Palo Alto | 10.83 | 67,237 | $231,101 | $3,722,200 | 82.0% |
| 10 | Tiburon | 12.33 | 9,012 | $232,969 | $3,020,895 | 81.0% |
| 11 | Orinda | 13.17 | 19,514 | $250,001 | $1,985,117 | 86.0% |
| 12 | Palos Verdes Estates | 13.17 | 12,925 | $242,014 | $2,763,820 | 80.0% |
| 13 | San Marino | 14.50 | 12,216 | $214,167 | $2,837,216 | 83.0% |
| 14 | Manhattan Beach | 16.50 | 34,210 | $204,306 | $3,227,202 | 79.0% |
| 15 | Los Gatos | 20.17 | 32,786 | $217,554 | $2,705,289 | 75.0% |
| 16 | Menlo Park | 21.33 | 32,727 | $210,025 | $2,865,159 | 73.0% |
| 17 | Corte Madera | 21.50 | 10,077 | $232,763 | $1,838,958 | 80.0% |
| 18 | Lafayette | 21.83 | 25,285 | $228,250 | $1,934,581 | 79.0% |
| 19 | San Carlos | 23.50 | 29,614 | $237,470 | $2,459,877 | 70.0% |
| 20 | Mill Valley | 24.67 | 14,012 | $206,212 | $2,073,166 | 76.0% |
| 21 | Moraga | 24.83 | 16,769 | $216,193 | $1,666,830 | 83.0% |
| 22 | Danville | 25.00 | 43,401 | $232,216 | $1,908,521 | 74.0% |
| 23 | Mountain View | 28.50 | 83,732 | $189,917 | $2,037,086 | 75.0% |
| 24 | Belmont | 28.83 | 27,337 | $205,297 | $2,332,686 | 70.0% |
| 25 | Malibu | 29.50 | 10,421 | $194,421 | $3,142,247 | 68.0% |
| 26 | Hermosa Beach | 30.00 | 19,063 | $166,442 | $2,245,351 | 76.0% |
| 27 | Rolling Hills Estates | 31.50 | 8,131 | $191,895 | $1,901,413 | 72.0% |
| 28 | Newport Beach | 33.83 | 83,845 | $156,867 | $3,625,146 | 70.0% |
| 29 | Sunnyvale | 34.33 | 154,236 | $186,170 | $2,168,909 | 69.0% |
| 30 | Rancho Palos Verdes | 36.17 | 40,864 | $179,623 | $1,824,948 | 71.0% |
| 31 | Sausalito | 36.50 | 7,141 | $182,357 | $1,505,307 | 77.0% |
| 32 | Solana Beach | 37.50 | 12,823 | $152,167 | $2,183,118 | 72.0% |
| 33 | Burlingame | 38.00 | 30,525 | $174,000 | $2,761,630 | 64.0% |
| 34 | Calabasas | 38.67 | 22,669 | $165,288 | $1,722,904 | 73.0% |
| 35 | San Ramon | 38.83 | 85,993 | $196,161 | $1,543,534 | 71.0% |
| 36 | San Anselmo | 40.67 | 12,679 | $173,641 | $1,647,302 | 71.0% |
| 37 | Laguna Beach | 41.67 | 22,710 | $143,843 | $2,949,835 | 69.0% |
| 38 | Pleasanton | 42.00 | 76,960 | $190,124 | $1,601,646 | 69.0% |
| 39 | Santa Clara | 43.33 | 130,256 | $178,958 | $1,782,192 | 66.0% |
| 40 | Villa Park | 44.00 | 5,748 | $202,245 | $2,343,977 | 55.0% |
| 41 | Encinitas | 44.50 | 61,480 | $162,229 | $1,889,066 | 68.0% |
| 42 | Dublin | 46.83 | 70,803 | $214,385 | $1,305,295 | 70.0% |
| 43 | Beverly Hills | 48.33 | 31,624 | $132,977 | $3,662,756 | 69.0% |
| 44 | Fremont | 49.00 | 228,295 | $181,506 | $1,543,132 | 64.0% |
| 45 | Larkspur | 51.50 | 12,854 | $140,417 | $2,129,545 | 68.0% |
| 46 | El Segundo | 53.00 | 16,769 | $150,737 | $1,759,408 | 63.0% |
| 47 | Campbell | 53.83 | 42,781 | $145,268 | $1,977,422 | 60.0% |
| 48 | Coronado | 54.33 | 19,015 | $134,534 | $2,508,031 | 65.0% |
| 49 | Milpitas | 55.33 | 78,578 | $178,798 | $1,502,891 | 58.0% |
| 50 | Albany | 55.83 | 19,414 | $144,107 | $1,261,177 | 77.0% |
| 51 | Irvine | 57.17 | 311,690 | $136,719 | $1,557,982 | 71.0% |
| 52 | Redondo Beach | 57.67 | 69,291 | $150,245 | $1,500,192 | 66.0% |
| 53 | Millbrae | 57.83 | 22,689 | $163,476 | $2,082,465 | 52.0% |
| 54 | Agoura Hills | 59.17 | 19,721 | $171,302 | $1,259,726 | 68.0% |
| 55 | San Mateo | 59.33 | 103,105 | $153,504 | $1,686,905 | 57.0% |
| 56 | South Pasadena | 60.00 | 26,068 | $127,175 | $1,692,678 | 73.0% |
| 57 | St. Helena | 60.67 | 5,318 | $148,750 | $1,633,318 | 58.0% |
| 58 | Dana Point | 64.00 | 32,790 | $141,520 | $1,736,393 | 57.0% |
| 59 | Sierra Madre | 64.00 | 10,940 | $143,547 | $1,437,492 | 64.0% |
| 60 | Yorba Linda | 67.33 | 67,170 | $157,582 | $1,419,513 | 55.0% |
| 61 | Carlsbad | 67.67 | 114,373 | $142,748 | $1,370,649 | 62.0% |
| 62 | Half Moon Bay | 67.83 | 11,391 | $157,884 | $1,573,307 | 52.0% |
| 63 | Laguna Niguel | 68.67 | 64,139 | $140,452 | $1,499,546 | 59.0% |
| 64 | Fairfax | 70.00 | 7,516 | $141,653 | $1,213,199 | 69.0% |
| 65 | La Habra Heights | 70.67 | 5,478 | $179,583 | $1,399,870 | 51.0% |
| 66 | San Clemente | 71.33 | 63,273 | $140,062 | $1,721,005 | 53.0% |
| 67 | San Francisco | 71.83 | 830,235 | $140,970 | $1,356,662 | 61.0% |
| 68 | Santa Monica | 73.50 | 91,169 | $114,885 | $1,703,948 | 70.0% |
| 69 | Clayton | 76.67 | 10,937 | $175,707 | $1,057,924 | 58.0% |
| 70 | Scotts Valley | 77.50 | 12,044 | $143,750 | $1,260,978 | 56.0% |
| 71 | Poway | 79.83 | 48,713 | $148,359 | $1,230,064 | 54.0% |
| 72 | Newark | 80.50 | 46,903 | $169,064 | $1,260,998 | 49.0% |
| 73 | Alameda | 81.00 | 77,238 | $137,697 | $1,155,484 | 62.0% |
| 74 | Berkeley | 81.67 | 120,257 | $108,092 | $1,443,684 | 76.0% |
| 75 | Morgan Hill | 83.00 | 45,425 | $163,920 | $1,356,869 | 47.0% |
| 76 | Walnut Creek | 84.17 | 70,088 | $130,432 | $1,045,017 | 71.0% |
| 77 | Pacifica | 84.17 | 37,261 | $160,523 | $1,284,847 | 48.0% |
| 78 | San Jose | 84.33 | 990,138 | $146,427 | $1,463,614 | 47.0% |
| 79 | Livermore | 84.83 | 85,522 | $160,775 | $1,122,823 | 52.0% |
| 80 | El Cerrito | 85.33 | 25,994 | $127,876 | $1,142,479 | 67.0% |
| 81 | Cerritos | 90.67 | 47,867 | $135,439 | $1,094,901 | 58.0% |
| 82 | Laguna Hills | 90.67 | 30,740 | $128,851 | $1,243,180 | 55.0% |
| 83 | Aliso Viejo | 91.33 | 51,113 | $142,439 | $1,012,225 | 58.0% |
| 84 | Mission Viejo | 91.50 | 92,151 | $136,123 | $1,229,743 | 52.0% |
| 85 | Walnut | 91.83 | 27,611 | $129,449 | $1,197,951 | 56.0% |
| 86 | Arcadia | 93.67 | 55,170 | $113,516 | $1,414,451 | 57.0% |
| 87 | Santa Cruz | 94.00 | 61,607 | $115,475 | $1,344,332 | 58.0% |
| 88 | Pleasant Hill | 94.00 | 34,235 | $145,029 | $1,000,859 | 55.0% |
| 89 | Brea | 96.33 | 47,469 | $131,129 | $1,140,406 | 53.0% |
| 90 | Truckee | 96.50 | 17,066 | $130,462 | $1,010,243 | 61.0% |
| 91 | Lake Forest | 97.33 | 86,281 | $135,175 | $1,208,686 | 50.0% |
| 92 | Rancho Santa Margarita | 97.33 | 46,990 | $152,560 | $1,029,346 | 50.0% |
| 93 | San Bruno | 99.67 | 42,307 | $141,272 | $1,327,402 | 44.0% |
| 94 | Pacific Grove | 100.17 | 14,951 | $106,065 | $1,405,345 | 60.0% |
| 95 | Santa Barbara | 100.50 | 87,779 | $106,182 | $1,834,095 | 52.0% |
| 96 | Claremont | 100.67 | 36,595 | $125,647 | $1,039,337 | 60.0% |
| 97 | Goleta | 101.17 | 32,685 | $122,370 | $1,364,878 | 49.0% |
| 98 | Huntington Beach | 102.83 | 195,240 | $120,919 | $1,366,658 | 49.0% |
| 99 | La Palma | 104.00 | 15,272 | $117,989 | $1,203,550 | 53.0% |
| 100 | Thousand Oaks | 104.33 | 125,205 | $135,603 | $1,049,634 | 51.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 411 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re On Your High Horse
When it comes to snobbery, these places in California are heading ever upward. Residents in these communities are well educated, well paid, and appear to have all the sophisticated culture and entertainment of an Ernst Lubitsch film right at their fingertips.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The snobbiest cities in California are Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Hillsborough, Atherton, Saratoga, Piedmont, Woodside, Cupertino, Palo Alto, and Tiburon.
