Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is California a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in California.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Golden State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of California, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 58 counties in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 Best Counties To Live In California For 2024
San Mateo County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in California. And you should avoid Imperial County if you can — at least according to the data.
Now you know exactly where to move in California. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in California and the cheapest places to live in California.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Best Counties To Live In California For 2024
1. San Mateo County
Biggest Place: San Mateo
Population: 754,250
Median Income: $149,907 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $1,509,337 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (5th best)
More on San Mateo County: Data
2. Santa Clara County
Biggest Place: San Jose
Population: 1,916,831
Median Income: $153,792 (best)
Median Home Price: $1,498,530 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (4th best)
More on Santa Clara County: Data
3. Placer County
Biggest Place: Roseville
Population: 406,608
Median Income: $109,375 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $669,137 (19th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (2nd best)
More on Placer County: Data
4. Marin County
Biggest Place: San Rafael
Population: 260,485
Median Income: $142,019 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $1,464,636 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8% (19th best)
More on Marin County: Data
5. Alameda County
Biggest Place: Oakland
Population: 1,663,823
Median Income: $122,488 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $1,077,995 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.9% (9th best)
More on Alameda County: Data
6. El Dorado County
Biggest Place: El Dorado Hills
Population: 191,713
Median Income: $99,246 (15th best)
Median Home Price: $650,081 (20th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (6th best)
More on El Dorado County: Data
7. San Francisco County
Biggest Place: San Francisco
Population: 851,036
Median Income: $136,689 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $1,252,513 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.4% (16th best)
More on San Francisco County: Data
8. Contra Costa County
Biggest Place: Concord
Population: 1,162,648
Median Income: $120,020 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $802,009 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8% (20th best)
More on Contra Costa County: Data
9. Nevada County
Biggest Place: Truckee
Population: 102,322
Median Income: $79,395 (27th best)
Median Home Price: $616,586 (2best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (3rd best)
More on Nevada County: Data
10. Sonoma County
Biggest Place: Santa Rosa
Population: 488,436
Median Income: $99,266 (14th best)
Median Home Price: $788,831 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2% (12th best)
More on Sonoma County: Data
Methodology: How do you determine which California county is the best?
To give you the best county in California, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in California across each of the criteria from one to 58, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In California.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Golden State.
We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in California.
Read on to see why San Mateo County is the best county, while Imperial County is probably in contention for being the worst county in California.
Summary: The Best Counties In California To Call Home For 2024
Living in California can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in California are San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Placer County, Marin County, Alameda County, El Dorado County, San Francisco County, Contra Costa County, Nevada County, and Sonoma County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in California according to the data:
- Imperial County
- Tulare County
- Merced County
For more California reading, check out:
- Best Counties To Live In California
- Safest Places In California
- Best Places To Raise A Family In California
- Best Places To Retire In California
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In California
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Mateo County | 754,250 | $149,907 | $1,509,337 |
| 2 | Santa Clara County | 1,916,831 | $153,792 | $1,498,530 |
| 3 | Placer County | 406,608 | $109,375 | $669,137 |
| 4 | Marin County | 260,485 | $142,019 | $1,464,636 |
| 5 | Alameda County | 1,663,823 | $122,488 | $1,077,995 |
| 6 | El Dorado County | 191,713 | $99,246 | $650,081 |
| 7 | San Francisco County | 851,036 | $136,689 | $1,252,513 |
| 8 | Contra Costa County | 1,162,648 | $120,020 | $802,009 |
| 9 | Nevada County | 102,322 | $79,395 | $616,586 |
| 10 | Sonoma County | 488,436 | $99,266 | $788,831 |
| 11 | Napa County | 137,384 | $105,809 | $902,605 |
| 12 | Santa Cruz County | 268,571 | $104,409 | $1,147,849 |
| 13 | San Luis Obispo County | 281,712 | $90,158 | $868,655 |
| 14 | Solano County | 450,995 | $97,037 | $576,018 |
| 15 | Orange County | 3,175,227 | $109,361 | $1,049,400 |
| 16 | San Benito County | 64,753 | $104,451 | $765,779 |
| 17 | Amador County | 40,577 | $74,853 | $423,060 |
| 18 | Alpine County | 1,515 | $101,125 | $487,610 |
| 19 | Ventura County | 842,009 | $102,141 | $833,853 |
| 20 | Calaveras County | 45,674 | $77,526 | $443,994 |
| 21 | San Diego County | 3,289,701 | $96,974 | $894,377 |
| 22 | Inyo County | 18,829 | $63,417 | $494,438 |
| 23 | Yolo County | 217,141 | $85,097 | $597,622 |
| 24 | Sacramento County | 1,579,211 | $84,010 | $514,817 |
| 25 | Mono County | 13,219 | $82,038 | $742,244 |
| 26 | Plumas County | 19,650 | $67,885 | $379,665 |
| 27 | Tuolumne County | 54,993 | $70,432 | $394,288 |
| 28 | Santa Barbara County | 445,213 | $92,332 | $944,672 |
| 29 | Monterey County | 437,609 | $91,043 | $808,983 |
| 30 | Riverside County | 2,429,487 | $84,505 | $582,702 |
| 31 | Shasta County | 181,852 | $68,347 | $366,122 |
| 32 | San Joaquin County | 779,445 | $82,837 | $522,369 |
| 33 | Los Angeles County | 9,936,690 | $83,411 | $841,358 |
| 34 | Stanislaus County | 552,063 | $74,872 | $448,288 |
| 35 | Sierra County | 2,916 | $61,108 | $330,541 |
| 36 | Sutter County | 99,101 | $72,654 | $421,969 |
| 37 | Mariposa County | 17,130 | $60,021 | $391,221 |
| 38 | Butte County | 213,605 | $66,085 | $390,744 |
| 39 | San Bernardino County | 2,180,563 | $77,423 | $520,290 |
| 40 | Del Norte County | 27,462 | $61,149 | $351,400 |
| 41 | Yuba County | 81,705 | $66,693 | $400,233 |
| 42 | Humboldt County | 136,132 | $57,881 | $444,650 |
| 43 | Colusa County | 21,811 | $69,619 | $359,546 |
| 44 | Siskiyou County | 44,049 | $53,898 | $288,483 |
| 45 | Mendocino County | 91,145 | $61,335 | $501,102 |
| 46 | Tehama County | 65,484 | $59,029 | $310,493 |
| 47 | Trinity County | 15,889 | $47,317 | $293,387 |
| 48 | Lake County | 68,024 | $56,259 | $318,452 |
| 49 | Fresno County | 1,008,280 | $67,756 | $381,056 |
| 50 | Kings County | 152,515 | $68,540 | $334,139 |
| 51 | Lassen County | 31,873 | $59,515 | $229,939 |
| 52 | Madera County | 157,243 | $73,543 | $393,083 |
| 53 | Glenn County | 28,657 | $64,033 | $350,010 |
| 54 | Modoc County | 8,651 | $54,962 | $184,099 |
| 55 | Kern County | 906,883 | $63,883 | $336,410 |
| 56 | Merced County | 282,290 | $64,772 | $396,684 |
| 57 | Tulare County | 473,446 | $64,474 | $331,343 |
| 58 | Imperial County | 179,578 | $53,847 | $324,645 |