Housing Value★★★★★★★★★★2.2 / 5Home values compared with local household income.
Living in Los Altos, CA
Explore Los Altos and see how it fits the life you want to build.
Overall Match7.9 / 10
Baseline match from currently available location scores. Choose priorities to personalize it.
Los Altos at a Glance
Key facts and current data
Population30,698
Median Household Income$250,001
Median Home Value$2,000,001
Median Gross Rent$3,501
Median Age45.9
Average Household Size2.8
Unemployment4.8%
Work From Home39.4%
Homeownership81.7%
Housing Vacancy8.0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year.
Los Altos is a mid-sized community where local neighborhoods, nearby job centers and regional access can matter as much as citywide averages. Housing costs are high relative to local household income, making affordability one of the more important factors to examine before relocating here.
Experience the Area
Experience Life in Los Altos Before You Move
Explore Short-Term Stays in Los Altos →Stay options powered by Stay22 · affiliate
NarrowTheList highly recommends you spend a week or two in Los Altos and experience everyday life before deciding whether it is the right place to call home. Use that time to explore neighborhoods, drive your normal routes, shop where residents shop, and get a feel for the area at different times of day.
NarrowTheList Ratings
Data-driven starter ratings. More categories appear automatically as new datasets are added.
Housing & Cost of Living in Los Altos
Current housing indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau
Median Home Value$2,000,001
Median Gross Rent$3,501
Homeownership81.7%
Housing Vacancy8.0%
Home values are relatively high compared with local household income, so purchase affordability deserves close attention. A large majority of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Jobs, Income & Remote Work
Employment and household-income context for Los Altos, CA
Median Household Income$250,001
Unemployment4.8%
Work From Home39.4%
The reported unemployment rate is in a middle range. Working from home is relatively common among employed residents.
Population & Household Profile
Who lives in Los Altos and how households are structured
Population30,698
Median Age45.9
Average Household Size2.8
Los Altos is a smaller community, so its relationship with nearby towns, employment centers and services can be especially important.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year. NarrowTheList presents these values as relocation context; conditions can vary within a community.
Climate & Weather in Los Altos
Long-term NOAA climate normals and practical seasonal context
NOAA climate normals for Los Altos point to warm summers, cool winters, moderate annual rainfall and little to no annual snowfall.
Average Summer High76.9°F
Average Winter Low42.4°F
Annual Rainfall17.0 in.
Annual Snowfall0.0 in.
Seasonal Life in Los Altos
What the long-term climate pattern may mean for everyday living.
Spring
Spring should generally favor outdoor activity, although a relatively dry annual pattern makes water use, landscaping and local drought conditions worth noticing.
Summer
Summer highs are comparatively mild, which may reduce cooling demands and can make daytime outdoor activity more comfortable than in hotter inland locations.
Fall
Fall can be one of the best seasons for comparing neighborhoods because daily routines are active while temperatures transition away from summer conditions.
Winter
Winter lows are relatively mild and measurable snowfall is minimal, so winter living is more likely to revolve around cool or wet conditions than snow removal and prolonged freezes.
Source: NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Seasonal descriptions are relocation context derived from the available long-term normals, not a forecast.
Los Altos is located in Santa Clara County, but city-level housing, income and neighborhood conditions can differ meaningfully from countywide averages. Santa Clara County.
County Intelligence
Los Altos & Santa Clara County
Data Pending
Foreclosure Activity
Los Altos is located in Santa Clara County, California.
NarrowTheList uses county-level information alongside local community data because many factors that matter when choosing a place to live are measured beyond city boundaries. Housing, property taxes, employment, healthcare access and other regional characteristics can add useful context to the picture of life in Los Altos.
Current NarrowTheList data for Los Altos shows a population of about 30,698. These local figures become more useful when read together with county-level tax, housing, foreclosure and demographic conditions rather than treated as isolated city statistics.
Foreclosure Activity: Data Pending. A county-specific foreclosure signal is not available yet.
For someone comparing homes, county boundaries can matter because taxes, public services, court and recording systems, assessment practices and housing-market conditions are often administered or reported at the county level. NarrowTheList keeps that county relationship attached to the community so future tax, foreclosure, housing and demographic data can be interpreted in the correct geographic context.
County relationship
Santa Clara County
How NarrowTheList uses it
County information is used as a supporting geographic layer, not as a substitute for local data. As more county datasets are added, NarrowTheList can use them to improve comparisons, ratings and relocation insights for Los Altos.
For someone considering a move to Los Altos, the available data currently points to housing affordability that deserves careful budgeting. These signals are most useful when considered alongside the specific neighborhood, commute and housing type that fit the household making the move.
Nearby Cities & Communities
Nearby incorporated cities, towns, villages and other municipalities shown by straight-line distance.
Los Altos Hills, CA
2.3 miles away
Mountain View, CA
2.4 miles away
Palo Alto, CA
3.2 miles away
Sunnyvale, CA
4.0 miles away
Cupertino, CA
4.4 miles away
Santa Clara, CA
7.1 miles away
East Palo Alto, CA
7.1 miles away
Portola Valley, CA
7.5 miles away
Saratoga, CA
7.9 miles away
Menlo Park, CA
8.2 miles away
Atherton, CA
8.4 miles away
Woodside, CA
9.6 miles away