While big cities like Sunnyvale offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Sunnyvale. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Sunnyvale without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Sunnyvale are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Sunnyvale area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Sunnyvale for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Sunnyvale? Los Altos Hills ranks as the best suburb of Sunnyvale for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Los Altos Hills, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Sunnyvale ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about California:
The 10 Best Sunnyvale Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 8,441
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 2.0%
More on Los Altos Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Los Altos Hills is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Sunnyvale area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Los Altos Hills.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $250,001 a year, which is the 4th highest in the Sunnyvale region. And only 2.78% are out of work. Homes average more than $5,525,121 each.
/10
Population: 31,133
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Los Altos: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Los Altos is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Sunnyvale for 2024.
It ranks 4th for incomes in the area and only 1.33% of residents lack insurance, good for 8th best.
/10
Population: 7,124
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 3.9%
More on Atherton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Atherton, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Sunnyvale metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Atherton.
/10
Monte Sereno ranks as the 4th best suburb of Sunnyvale for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Monte Sereno and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 30,771
Median Income: $237,730
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Saratoga: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Saratoga.
Saratoga gets kudos for having the 8th most expensive homes in the Sunnyvale area, where houses sell for an average of $3,602,379. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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Population: 59,763
Median Income: $223,667
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Cupertino: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Cupertino is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.0%.
According to online reports, Cupertino is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Sunnyvale area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 30,490
Median Income: $219,413
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.0%
More on San Carlos: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to San Carlos.
San Carlos schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 15.2 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 4,397
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Portola Valley: Data | Real Estate
Portola Valley is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 1.79% of people lack insurance, good for 13th in the area.
/10
Population: 67,901
Median Income: $214,118
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Palo Alto: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Palo Alto?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
I live in Palo Alto, and I never doubted that we ranked high on snobbery. After all, not only do we have a community theater company and a community orchestra, but we have a community opera company as well.||I don’t know where Palo Alto stands with this metric or how much it is weighted, but I take objection to your inclusion of private school density as a criterion.
Firstly, the number of private schools in a city relative to that city’s population is not necessarily the best measure of how many eligible students in a city attend private school, as private schools may vary in size and often do not restrict enrollment to the residents of their host city.
Secondly, while private school enrollment is an understandable measure to be associated with snobbery, given that in most parts of the country elites seek out private schools for the usually superior quality of education they provide, Palo Alto may be an exception that proves the rule.
In Palo Alto, the quality of our public schools rivals that of many nearby private schools. Therefore, many Palo Alto parents proudly send their children to public school, deeming private school unnecessarily expensive for its relative value. Does this fact make us more or less s****y-
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Population: 43,449
Median Income: $209,518
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 3.7%
More on Danville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Danville.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Sunnyvale for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Sunnyvale was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Sunnyvale.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 43 suburbs to evaluate around Sunnyvale.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 43 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Sunnyvale.” We’re lookin’ at you, Los Altos Hills.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Sunnyvale suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Sunnyvale ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Sunnyvale are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Sunnyvale but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more California reading, check out:
Table: Best Sunnyvale Suburbs
Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Los Altos Hills, CA | 8,441 | $250,001 | $5,525,121 |
2 | Los Altos, CA | 31,133 | $250,001 | $4,060,663 |
3 | Atherton, CA | 7,124 | $250,001 | $7,732,900 |
4 | Monte Sereno, CA | 3,444 | $250,001 | $3,980,200 |
5 | Saratoga, CA | 30,771 | $237,730 | $3,602,379 |
6 | Cupertino, CA | 59,763 | $223,667 | $2,701,204 |
7 | San Carlos, CA | 30,490 | $219,413 | $2,206,123 |
8 | Portola Valley, CA | 4,397 | $250,001 | $3,841,103 |
9 | Palo Alto, CA | 67,901 | $214,118 | $3,220,174 |
10 | Danville, CA | 43,449 | $209,518 | $1,861,576 |
11 | Hillsborough, CA | 11,258 | $250,001 | $5,101,758 |
12 | Woodside, CA | 5,256 | $250,001 | $3,633,237 |
13 | Los Gatos, CA | 33,093 | $198,117 | $2,554,492 |
14 | Dublin, CA | 71,068 | $191,039 | $1,293,624 |
15 | Menlo Park, CA | 33,324 | $198,273 | $2,574,718 |
16 | Mountain View, CA | 82,132 | $174,156 | $1,845,861 |
17 | Pleasanton, CA | 78,691 | $181,639 | $1,582,884 |
18 | San Ramon, CA | 86,119 | $190,829 | $1,550,726 |
19 | Burlingame, CA | 30,995 | $165,940 | $2,516,360 |
20 | Belmont, CA | 27,820 | $185,944 | $2,118,293 |
21 | Scotts Valley, CA | 12,239 | $136,867 | $1,261,441 |
22 | Campbell, CA | 43,464 | $141,794 | $1,652,630 |
23 | Millbrae, CA | 22,825 | $146,649 | $1,927,421 |
24 | Fremont, CA | 228,795 | $169,023 | $1,413,076 |
25 | Livermore, CA | 87,154 | $152,590 | $1,087,248 |
26 | Pacifica, CA | 38,048 | $151,849 | $1,246,502 |
27 | Morgan Hill, CA | 45,291 | $152,199 | $1,310,579 |
28 | Santa Clara, CA | 128,058 | $165,352 | $1,524,900 |
29 | Half Moon Bay, CA | 11,633 | $148,702 | $1,510,034 |
30 | Milpitas, CA | 79,092 | $166,769 | $1,346,828 |
31 | San Mateo, CA | 104,165 | $149,152 | $1,510,087 |
32 | South San Francisco, CA | 65,596 | $127,062 | $1,191,225 |
33 | San Bruno, CA | 43,218 | $131,669 | $1,253,713 |
34 | Newark, CA | 47,470 | $159,465 | $1,189,585 |
35 | Capitola, CA | 9,921 | $91,850 | $1,215,985 |
36 | Alameda, CA | 77,565 | $129,917 | $1,192,032 |
37 | San Jose, CA | 1,001,176 | $136,010 | $1,330,692 |
38 | Santa Cruz, CA | 61,367 | $105,491 | $1,318,776 |
39 | Brisbane, CA | 4,756 | $137,583 | $1,134,881 |
40 | East Palo Alto, CA | 29,520 | $103,248 | $942,015 |
41 | San Leandro, CA | 89,723 | $97,141 | $830,087 |
42 | Oakland, CA | 437,825 | $94,389 | $790,956 |
43 | Hayward, CA | 160,602 | $105,371 | $845,438 |