Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 34/100
F
Median home value$2,000,000+
San Jose $1,447,800
Median rent$1,976/mo
San Jose $2,840/mo
Cost-burdened households54%
San Jose 35%
Stanford
Santa Clara County18,662 residentsPalo Alto Unified
68
B−
Suburbgrade score
8th of 16 San Jose suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by employment & income.
68
San Jose median 68
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Stanford yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 68 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 Stanford is like to live in, by category
Bars show Stanford against San Jose. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 86/100
A−
Within-state proficiency98th pct
San Jose median 87th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.1
San Jose median 21.4
Graduation rate95%
San Jose median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 85/100
A−
Housing cost index78
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 · 93/100
A+
Mean commute14.6 min
San Jose 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes90%
San Jose 62%
Transit stops / sq mi24
San Jose median 10 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 95/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés277
San Jose median 175 · within 2 miles
Groceries13
San Jose median 13 · within 2 miles
Parks109
San Jose median 113 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 19/100
F
Median household income$75,208
San Jose $162,111
Unemployment8.1%
San Jose 4.9%
Professional occupations77%
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 Stanford 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 Stanford on employment & income
Stanford's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Mountain View5 mi from StanfordB 74 B Cupertino10 mi from StanfordB− 75 B Palo Alto2 mi from StanfordB− 74 B Sunnyvale8 mi from StanfordB− 73 B Saratoga13 mi from StanfordC+ 71 B− Santa Clara12 mi from StanfordC+ 70 B− Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Stanford
Is Stanford, CA a good place to live?
Stanford scores 68 out of 100, 8th of 16 San Jose suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Stanford expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades A−. The median home is $2,000,000+, 38% above the San Jose median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.60%. $1,976/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Stanford?
Schools grade A−. The districts serving Stanford sit at the 98th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 17.1 student–teacher ratio. Stanford is served by Palo Alto Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Stanford?
The mean commute is 14.6 min, with 90% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 21% working from home. Transit density is 24 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Stanford?
Within two miles there are 13 groceries, 277 restaurants and cafés and 109 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Stanford old or new?
The median home in Stanford was built in 1982 — newer 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. 27% 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.