Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 46/100
D
Median home value$1,057,300
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,680/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households39%
San Francisco 38%
Walnut Creek
Contra Costa County70,088 residents3 school districts
59
C
Suburbgrade score
32nd of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
59
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Walnut Creek yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 59 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 Walnut Creek is like to live in, by category
Bars show Walnut Creek against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 63/100
C+
Within-state proficiency79th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio23.0
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate91%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Housing cost index100
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.70%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.25%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 60/100
C
Mean commute30.6 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes57%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi10
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 82/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés144
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks40
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 48/100
D+
Median household income$130,432
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment6.0%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations66%
San Francisco 56%
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 Walnut Creek 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 Walnut Creek on housing & affordability
Walnut Creek's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Orinda7 mi from Walnut CreekB 65 C+ Alamo4 mi from Walnut CreekB 69 B− Danville7 mi from Walnut CreekB− 70 B− Lafayette4 mi from Walnut CreekB− 67 C+ Moraga6 mi from Walnut CreekC+ 62 C Pleasanton18 mi from Walnut CreekC 65 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Walnut Creek
Is Walnut Creek, CA a good place to live?
Walnut Creek scores 59 out of 100, 32nd of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Walnut Creek expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $1,057,300, 7% below the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.70%. $2,680/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Walnut Creek?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving Walnut Creek sit at the 79th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 91% graduation rate and a 23.0 student–teacher ratio. Walnut Creek is served by Acalanes Union High, Walnut Creek Elementary and Mt. Diablo Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Walnut Creek?
The mean commute is 30.6 min, with 57% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 31% working from home. Transit density is 10 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Walnut Creek?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 144 restaurants and cafés and 40 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Walnut Creek old or new?
The median home in Walnut Creek was built in 1974 — newer than the San Francisco median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 53% 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.
Six San Francisco lists
Best San Francisco suburbs for familiesMost affordable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown San FranciscoMost walkable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for young professionalsCompare Walnut Creek
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