Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 58/100
C
Median home value$2,000,000+
San Jose $1,447,800
Median rent$3,484/mo
San Jose $2,840/mo
Cost-burdened households33%
San Jose 35%
Palo Alto
Santa Clara County67,237 residents5 school districts
74
B
Suburbgrade score
4th of 16 San Jose suburbs. Strong on commute & transport and schools, held back by housing & affordability.
74
San Jose median 68
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Palo Alto yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 74 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Palo Alto is like to live in, by category
Bars show Palo Alto against San Jose. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 85/100
A−
Within-state proficiency98th pct
San Jose median 87th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.4
San Jose median 21.4
Graduation rate95%
San Jose median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Housing cost index110
San Jose 100
Eff. tax rate0.60%
San Jose 0.68%
Local sales tax9.75%
San Jose median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 88/100
A
Mean commute21.4 min
San Jose 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes75%
San Jose 62%
Transit stops / sq mi10
San Jose median 10 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 84/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés116
San Jose median 175 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
San Jose median 13 · within 2 miles
Parks78
San Jose median 113 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 68/100
B−
Median household income$231,101
San Jose $162,111
Unemployment3.9%
San Jose 4.9%
Professional occupations81%
San Jose 58%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Palo Alto yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Palo Alto on housing & affordability
Palo Alto's weakest grade is C. Four suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Saratoga11 mi from Palo AltoC+ 71 B− Los Altos3 mi from Palo AltoC+ 77 B Cupertino8 mi from Palo AltoC 75 B Los Gatos15 mi from Palo AltoC 66 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Palo Alto
Is Palo Alto, CA a good place to live?
Palo Alto scores 74 out of 100, 4th of 16 San Jose suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Palo Alto expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $2,000,000+, 38% above the San Jose median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.60%. $3,484/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Palo Alto?
Schools grade A−. The districts serving Palo Alto sit at the 98th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 17.4 student–teacher ratio. Palo Alto is served by Palo Alto Unified, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High, Fremont Union High School District, Cupertino Union Elementary School District and Los Altos Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Palo Alto?
The mean commute is 21.4 min, with 75% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 35% working from home. Transit density is 10 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Palo Alto?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 116 restaurants and cafés and 78 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Palo Alto old or new?
The median home in Palo Alto was built in 1963 — older than the San Jose median of 1976. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 64% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.